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Francesca Cole, Ph.D.

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX

Research Interests

Compromised DNA repair is a common feature of cancers and contributes to loss of genome integrity and tumorigenesis. A critical mechanism to faithfully repair DNA lesions, especially double-strand breaks, is homologous recombination. While many homologous recombination pathway components have been identified, their in vivo roles, especially within mammalian genomic contexts are poorly understood. Research in my laboratory uses genetic and molecular techniques to determine how homologous recombination pathways collaborate, compete, and compensate for one another. In particular, we use newly developed assay systems that take advantage of meiotic recombination in mouse spermatocytes to comprehensively dissect at high-resolution recombination outcomes. We plan to leverage this approach to (1) define the in vivo molecular characteristics of independent DNA repair pathways (2) discover new components of these pathways (3) provide a means of testing chemotherapeutic agents to specifically perturb individual pathways with a hope to improve cancer therapies.

Office Address

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
1808 Park Rd 1C
PO BOX 389
Unit Number: 116
Smithville, TX 78957
Phone: 512-237-9464

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

2003 Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University, New York, NY, PHD, Biomedical Sciences
1992 Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, BA, Summa Cum Laude, Biological Sciences

Postgraduate Training

12/2004-9/2012 Research Fellowship, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
9/2003-9/2004 Research Fellowship, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

Honors and Awards

2012-2016 CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
2007 Support for young participants award, 8th European Meiosis Meeting, Kanagawa, Japan
2006-2009 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Fellowship, NIH
2006 American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (declined), American Cancer Society
2000-2002 Predoctoral Training Grant Fellow, Training in Cancer Biology, NIH
1997-1999 Predoctoral Fellow, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
1992-1995 Predoctoral Fellow, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
1992 David L. Klein Jr. Memorial Scholarship
1992 Honorable Mention, Graduate Fellowship, National Science Foundation
1992 Phi Beta Kappa
1992 Sigma Xi
1992 Theodora (Teddy) Salmon Award for Excellence in Research in the Biological Sciences
1990 Sigma Xi Summer Research Fellowship

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Cole F, Keeney S, Jasin M. Preaching about the converted: how meiotic gene conversion influences genomic diversity. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1267(1):95-102, 9/2012. PMID: 22954222.
2. Cole F, Kauppi L, Lange J, Roig I, Wang R, Keeney S, Jasin M. Homeostatic control of recombination is implemented progressively in mouse meiosis. Nat Cell Biol 14(4):424-30, 4/2012. e-Pub 3/4/2012. PMCID: PMC3319518.
3. Lange J, Pan J, Cole F, Thelen MP, Jasin M, Keeney S. ATM controls meiotic double-strand-break formation. Nature 479(7372):237-40, 11/10/2011. e-Pub 10/16/2011. PMCID: PMC3213282.
4. Shakya R, Reid LJ, Reczek CR, Cole F, Egli D, Lin CS, deRooij DG, Hirsch S, Ravi K, Hicks JB, Szabolcs M, Jasin M, Baer R, Ludwig T. BRCA1 tumor suppression depends on BRCT phosphoprotein binding, but not its E3 ligase activity. Science 334(6055):525-8, 10/28/2011. PMID: 22034435.
5. Cole F, Jasin M. Isolation of meiotic recombinants from mouse sperm. Methods Mol Biol 745:251-82, 2011. PMID: 21660699.
6. Cole F, Keeney S, Jasin M. Comprehensive, fine-scale dissection of homologous recombination outcomes at a hot spot in mouse meiosis. Mol Cell 39(5):700-10, 9/10/2010. PMCID: PMC3196603.
7. Cole F, Keeney S, Jasin M. Evolutionary conservation of meiotic DSB proteins: more than just Spo11. Genes Dev 24(12):1201-7, 6/15/2010. PMCID: PMC2885656.
8. Zhang W, Kang JS, Cole F, Yi MJ, Krauss RS. Cdo functions at multiple points in the Sonic Hedgehog pathway, and Cdo-deficient mice accurately model human holoprosencephaly. Dev Cell 10(5):657-65, 5/2006. e-Pub 4/27/2006. PMID: 16647303.
9. Zhang W, Yi MJ, Chen X, Cole F, Krauss RS, Kang JS. Cortical thinning and hydrocephalus in mice lacking the immunoglobulin superfamily member CDO. Mol Cell Biol 26(10):3764-72, 5/2006. PMCID: PMC1489002.
10. Tenzen T, Allen BL, Cole F, Kang JS, Krauss RS, McMahon AP. The cell surface membrane proteins Cdo and Boc are components and targets of the Hedgehog signaling pathway and feedback network in mice. Dev Cell 10(5):647-56, 5/2006. e-Pub 4/27/2006. PMID: 16647304.
11. Krauss RS, Cole F, Gaio U, Takaesu G, Zhang W, Kang JS. Close encounters: regulation of vertebrate skeletal myogenesis by cell-cell contact. J Cell Sci 118(Pt 11):2355-62, 6/1/2005. PMID: 15923648.
12. Bergemann AD, Cole F, Hirschhorn K. The etiology of Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Trends Genet 21(3):188-95, 3/2005. PMID: 15734578.
13. Cole F, Zhang W, Geyra A, Kang JS, Krauss RS. Positive regulation of myogenic bHLH factors and skeletal muscle development by the cell surface receptor CDO. Dev Cell 7(6):843-54, 12/2004. PMID: 15572127.
14. Kang JS, Yi MJ, Zhang W, Feinleib JL, Cole F, Krauss RS. Netrins and neogenin promote myotube formation. J Cell Biol 167(3):493-504, 11/8/2004. e-Pub 11/1/2004. PMCID: PMC2172498.
15. Cole F, Krauss RS. Microform holoprosencephaly in mice that lack the Ig superfamily member Cdon. Curr Biol 13(5):411-5, 3/4/2003. PMID: 12620190.

Last updated: 2/22/2013