Taiping Chen, Ph.D.
Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, Division of Discovery Science
About Dr. Chen
Dr. Taiping Chen
is a geneticist and molecular biologist who studies the functions of epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, in mammals. He is particularly interested in understanding the regulation and biological roles of epigenetic modifications in developmental and pathological processes. His contributions to the epigenetics field include the identification of novel epigenetic modifiers, functional characterization of epigenetic regulators in embryonic development, gametogenesis and cell fate determination, and elucidation of the molecular mechanisms by which epigenetic alterations contribute to human diseases, including cancer.
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Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Professor, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, Division of Discovery Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Regular Member, The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston (GSBS), Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Professor, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Research Interests
Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, play crucial roles in regulating chromatin structure and gene expression. Over the last two decades, great progress has been made indentifying the enzymes and regulators responsible for adding, erasing, and interpreting epigenetic modifications. However, the biological functions of many of these epigenetic "writers, erasers, and readers" remain poorly understood. Work in the Chen Laboratory aims to unraveling epigenetic mechanisms in health and disease. Researchers in the laboratory use a variety of model systems, including genetically engineered mice, embryonic stem (ES) cells, and other cell lines, to investigate the roles of epigenetic modifiers and regulators in various biological processes, including embryogenesis, gametogenesis, immunity, stem cell functions, and tumorigenesis. Currently, we are actively pursuing the following projects:
- The roles of histone modifications and DNA methylation, as well as their interplay, during embryonic development and gametogenesis.
- The roles of the histone methyltransferase SetDB1 (also known as ESET or KMT1E) in adult stem cell functions, tissue generation and repair.
- The molecular mechanisms by which mutations in DNMT3B, ZBTB24, CDCA7 and HELLS lead to ICF (Immunodeficiency, Centromeric instability, and Facial anomalies) syndrome.
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2000 | McGill University, Montreal, CA, Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology. Research: Characterization of the GSG-domain RNA-binding proteins |
| 1996 | The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, US, M.S. in Biology. Research: Purification and characterization of proteases from snake venoms |
| 1988 | Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, CN, MD |
Postgraduate Training
| 2000-2003 | Postdoctoral Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Associate Professor, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX, 2011 - 2017
Investigator & Laboratory Head, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, 2004 - 2011
Physician, First Teaching Hospital, Xi’an Medical University, Xi'an, 1988 - 1993
Other Appointments/Responsibilities
Member, Postdoc Committee, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, 2006 - 2011
Institutional Committee Activities
Member, IBC Committee, 2020 - Present
Reviewer, MDACC Nominations for Endowed Fellowship Awards, 2017 - 2017
Member, Steering Committee, Genetics and Epigenetics Program, GSBS, 2017 - 2018
Reviewer, MDACC CCSG Technology Development Grants, 2017 - 2017
Member, EMC Faculty Search Committee, 2016 - 2016
Reviewer, Keck Family Foundation Proposals (MDACC internal review), 2016 - 2016
Reviewer, CPRIT HIHR Proposals (MDACC Internal Review), 2016 - Present
Reviewer, MDACC INTEREST Committee, 2016 - Present
Member, GSBS Admissions Committee, 2016 - 2018
Member, Steering Committee, EMC Program, GSBS, 2015 - 2018
Member, GSBS Curriculum Committee, 2015 - 2019
Member, Admissions Subcommittee, EMC Program, GSBS, 2015 - 2018
Member, EMC Faculty Search Committee, 2015 - 2015
Member, Organizing Committee for G&D-EMC Joint Retreat, 2014 - 2014
Member, Faculty Academic Review Committee (FARC), 2014 - 2014
Member, IRG-Basic Committee, 2013 - Present
Member, EMC Faculty Search Committee, 2012 - 2013
Member, Organizing Committee for EMC Graduate Student Retreat, 2012 - 2012
Honors & Awards
| 2011 | CPRIT Rising Star Award, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas |
| 2007 | Catalyst Award, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research |
| 2005 | SPOT Award, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research |
| 2001 | Long-term Fellowship, Human Frontier Science Program |
| 2000 | Postdoctoral Fellowship, Canadian Institutes of Health Research |
| 2000 | Dean's Honor List, McGill University |
| 2000 | Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Cancer Institute of Canada |
| 1998 | Doctoral Research Award, Medical Research Council of Canada |
| 1998 | Terry Fox Studentship, National Cancer Institute of Canada |
| 1997 | CRS Studentship, Cancer Research Society Inc. Canada |
| 1997 | Canderal Studentship, McGill University |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Lyu Y, Kim SJ, Humphrey ES, Nayak R, Guan Y, Liang Q, Kim KH, Tan Y, Dou J, Sun H, Song X, Nagarajan P, Gerner-Mauro KN, Jin K, Liu V, Hassan RH, Johnson ML, Deliu LP, You Y, Sharma A, Pasolli HA, Lu Y, Zhang J, Mohanty V, Chen K, Yang YJ, Chen T, Ge Y. Stem cell activity-coupled suppression of endogenous retrovirus governs adult tissue regeneration. Cell S0092-8674(24), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39476839.
- Shen, L, Ma, X, Wang, Y, Wang, Z, Zhang, Y, Pham, HH, Tao, X, Cui, Y, Wei, J, Lin, D, Abeywanada, T, Hardikar, S, Halabelian, L, Smith, N, Chen, T, Barsyte-Lovejoy, D, Qiu, S, Xing, Y, Yang, Y. Loss-of-function mutation in PRMT9 causes abnormal synapse development by dysregulation of RNA alternative splicing. Nat Commun 15(1), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38561334.
- Zhou J, Chen Q, Ren R, Yang J, Liu B, Horton JR, Chang C, Liu C, Maksoud L, Yong Y, Rotili D, Jain AK, Zhang X, Blumenthal RM, Chen T, Gao Y, Valente S, Mai A, Cheng X. Quinoline-based compounds can inhibit diverse enzymes that act on DNA. Cell Chem Biol S2451-9456(24):00403-3, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39437789.
- Chen S, Hou J, Jaffery R, Guerrero A, Fu R, Shi L, Zheng N, Bohat R, Egan NA, Yu C, Sharif S, Lu Y, He W, Wang S, Gjuka D, Stone EM, Shah PA, Ahnert JR, Chen T, Liu X, Bedford MT, Xu H, Peng W. MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitors enhance T cell-mediated antitumor activity in MTAP-loss tumors. J Immunother Cancer 12(9):e009600, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39313308.
- Du Z, Lin M, Li Q, Guo D, Xue Y, Liu W, Shi H, Chen T, Dan J. The totipotent 2C-like state safeguards genomic stability of mouse embryonic stem cells. J Cell Physiol 239(9):e31337, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38860420.
- Hardikar S, Ren R, Ying Z, Zhou J, Horton JR, Bramble MD, Liu B, Lu Y, Liu B, Coletta LD, Shen J, Dan J, Zhang X, Cheng X, Chen T. The ICF syndrome protein CDCA7 harbors a unique DNA binding domain that recognizes a CpG dyad in the context of a non-B DNA. Sci Adv 10(34):eadr0036, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39178265.
- Ying Z, Hardikar S, Plummer JB, Hamidi T, Liu B, Chen Y, Shen J, Mu Y, McBride KM, Chen T. Enhanced CD19 activity in B cells contributes to immunodeficiency in mice deficient in the ICF syndrome gene Zbtb24. Cell Mol Immunol 20(12):1487-1498, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37990035.
- Chen Q, Liu B, Zeng Y, Hwang JW, Dai N, Corrêa IR, Estecio MR, Zhang X, Santos MA, Chen T, Cheng X. GSK-3484862 targets DNMT1 for degradation in cells. NAR Cancer 5(2):zcad022, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37206360.
- Srour N, Villarreal OD, Hardikar S, Yu Z, Preston S, Miller WH, Szewczyk MM, Barsyte-Lovejoy D, Xu H, Chen T, Del Rincón SV, Richard S. PRMT7 ablation stimulates anti-tumor immunity and sensitizes melanoma to immune checkpoint blockade. Cell Rep 38(13):110582, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35354055.
- DiNardo CD, Beird HC, Estecio M, Hardikar S, Takahashi K, Bannon SA, Borthakur G, Jabbour E, Gumbs C, Khoury JD, Routbort M, Gong T, Kondo K, Kantarjian H, Garcia-Manero G, Chen T, Futreal PA. Germline DNMT3A mutation in familial acute myeloid leukaemia. Epigenetics 16(5):1-10, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 32856987.
- Cheng EC, Hsieh CL, Liu N, Wang J, Zhong M, Chen T, Li E, Lin H. The Essential Function of SETDB1 in Homologous Chromosome Pairing and Synapsis during Meiosis. Cell Rep 34(1):108575, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33406415.
- Norvil AB, AlAbdi L, Liu B, Tu YH, Forstoffer NE, Michie AR, Chen T, Gowher H. The acute myeloid leukemia variant DNMT3A Arg882His is a DNMT3B-like enzyme. Nucleic Acids Res 48(7):3761-3775, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32123902.
- Hardikar S, Ying Z, Zeng Y, Zhao H, Liu B, Veland N, McBride K, Cheng X, Chen T. The ZBTB24-CDCA7 axis regulates HELLS enrichment at centromeric satellite repeats to facilitate DNA methylation. Protein Cell 11(3):214-218, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 31970665.
- Zeng Y, Ren R, Kaur G, Hardikar S, Ying Z, Babcock L, Gupta E, Zhang X, Chen T, Cheng X. The inactive Dnmt3b3 isoform preferentially enhances Dnmt3b-mediated DNA methylation. Genes Dev 34(21-22):1546-58, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33004415.
- Li Q, Liu B, Chao HP, Ji Y, Lu Y, Mehmood R, Jeter C, Chen T, Moore JR, Li W, Liu C, Rycaj K, Tracz A, Kirk J, Calhoun-Davis T, Xiong J, Deng Q, Huang J, Foster BA, Gokhale A, Chen X, Tang DG. LRIG1 is a pleiotropic androgen receptor-regulated feedback tumor suppressor in prostate cancer. Nat Commun 10(1):5494, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31792211.
- He W, Zhang L, Villarreal OD, Fu R, Bedford E, Dou J, Patel AY, Bedford MT, Shi X, Chen T, Bartholomew B, Xu H. De novo identification of essential protein domains from CRISPR-Cas9 tiling-sgRNA knockout screens. Nat Commun 10(1):4541, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31586052.
- Ren R, Hardikar S, Horton JR, Lu Y, Zeng Y, Singh AK, Lin K, Coletta LD, Shen J, Lin Kong CS, Hashimoto H, Zhang X, Chen T, Cheng X. Structural basis of specific DNA binding by the transcription factor ZBTB24. Nucleic Acids Res 47(16):8388-8398, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31226215.
- Chao HP, Chen Y, Takata Y, Tomida MW, Lin K, Kirk JS, Simper MS, Mikulec CD, Rundhaug JE, Fischer SM, Chen T, Tang DG, Lu Y, Shen J. Systematic evaluation of RNA-Seq preparation protocol performance. BMC Genomics 20(1):571, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31296163.
- Takase R, Hino S, Nagaoka K, Anan K, Kohrogi K, Araki H, Hino Y, Sakamoto A, Nicholson TB, Chen T, Nakao M. Lysine-specific demethylase-2 is distinctively involved in brown and beige adipogenic differentiation. FASEB J 33(4):5300-5311, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30681884.
- Veland N, Lu Y, Hardikar S, Gaddis S, Zeng Y, Liu B, Estecio MR, Takata Y, Lin K, Tomida MW, Shen J, Saha D, Gowher H, Zhao H, Chen T. DNMT3L facilitates DNA methylation partly by maintaining DNMT3A stability in mouse embryonic stem cells. Nucleic Acids Res 47(1):152-167, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30321403.
- Hamidi T, Singh AK, Veland N, Vemulapalli V, Chen J, Hardikar S, Bao J, Fry CJ, Yang V, Lee KA, Guo A, Arrowsmith CH, Bedford MT, Chen T. Identification of Rpl29 as a major substrate of the lysine methyltransferase Set7/9. J Biol Chem 293(33):12770-12780, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29959229.
- Gu T, Lin X, Cullen SM, Luo M, Jeong M, Estecio M, Shen J, Hardikar S, Sun D, Su J, Rux D, Guzman A, Lee M, Qi LS, Chen JJ, Kyba M, Huang Y, Chen T, Li W, Goodell MA. DNMT3A and TET1 cooperate to regulate promoter epigenetic landscapes in mouse embryonic stem cells. Genome Biol 19(1):88, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30001199.
- Bao J, Perez CJ, Kim J, Zhang H, Murphy CJ, Hamidi T, Jaubert J, Platt CD, Chou J, Deng M, Zhou MH, Huang Y, Gaitán-Peñas H, Guénet JL, Lin K, Lu Y, Chen T, Bedford MT, Dent SY, Richburg JH, Estévez R, Pan HL, Geha RS, Shi Q, Benavides F. Deficient LRRC8A-dependent volume-regulated anion channel activity is associated with male infertility in mice. JCI Insight 3(16), 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30135305.
- Veland N, Hardikar S, Zhong Y, Gayatri S, Dan J, Strahl BD, Rothbart SB, Bedford MT, Chen T. The Arginine Methyltransferase PRMT6 Regulates DNA Methylation and Contributes to Global DNA Hypomethylation in Cancer. Cell Rep 21(12):3390-3397, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29262320.
- Jeziorska DM, Murray RJS, De Gobbi M, Gaentzsch R, Garrick D, Ayyub H, Chen T, Li E, Telenius J, Lynch M, Graham B, Smith AJH, Lund JN, Hughes JR, Higgs DR, Tufarelli C. DNA methylation of intragenic CpG islands depends on their transcriptional activity during differentiation and disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114(36):E7526-E7535, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28827334.
- Dan J, Rousseau P, Hardikar S, Veland N, Wong J, Autexier C, Chen T. Zscan4 Inhibits Maintenance DNA Methylation to Facilitate Telomere Elongation in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. Cell Rep 20(8):1936-1949, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28834755.
- Quek K, Li J, Estecio M, Zhang J, Fujimoto J, Roarty E, Little L, Chow CW, Song X, Behrens C, Chen T, William WN, Swisher S, Heymach J, Wistuba I, Zhang J, Futreal A, Zhang J. DNA methylation intratumor heterogeneity in localized lung adenocarcinomas. Oncotarget 8(13):21994-22002, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28423542.
- Espejo AB, Gao G, Black K, Gayatri S, Veland N, Kim J, Chen T, Sudol M, Walker C, Bedford MT. PRMT5 C-terminal Phosphorylation Modulates a 14-3-3/PDZ Interaction Switch. J Biol Chem 292(6):2255-2265, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28031468.
- Gahurova L, Tomizawa SI, Smallwood SA, Stewart-Morgan KR, Saadeh H, Kim J, Andrews SR, Chen T, Kelsey G. Transcription and chromatin determinants of de novo DNA methylation timing in oocytes. Epigenetics Chromatin 10(1):25, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28507606.
- Chen Y, Kim J, Zhang R, Yang X, Zhang Y, Fang J, Chen Z, Teng L, Chen X, Ge H, Atadja P, Li E, Chen T, Qi W. Histone Demethylase LSD1 Promotes Adipocyte Differentiation through Repressing Wnt Signaling. Cell Chem Biol 23(10):1228-1240, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27642069.
- Kim J, Zhao H, Dan J, Kim S, Hardikar S, Hollowell D, Lin K, Lu Y, Takata Y, Shen J, Chen T. Maternal Setdb1 Is Required for Meiotic Progression and Preimplantation Development in Mouse. PLoS Genet 12(4):e1005970, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27070551.
- Blanc RS, Vogel G, Chen T, Crist C, Richard S. PRMT7 preserves satellite cell regenerative capacity. Cell Rep 14(6):1528-39, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26854227.
- Jia Y, Li P, Fang L, Zhu H, Xu L, Cheng H, Zhang J, Li F, Feng Y, Li Y, Li J, Wang R, Du JX, Li J, Chen T, Ji H, Han J, Yu W, Wu Q, Wong J. Negative regulation of DNMT3A de novo DNA methylation by frequently overexpressed UHRF family proteins as a mechanism for widespread DNA hypomethylation in cancer. Cell Discov 2, 16007; doi:10.1038/celldisc.2016.7:16007, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27462454.
- Stewart KR, Veselovska L, Kim J, Huang J, Saadeh H, Tomizawa S, Smallwood SA, Chen T, Kelsey G. Dynamic changes in histone modifications precede de novo DNA methylation in oocytes. Genes Dev 29(23):2449-62, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26584620.
- Fei Q, Yang X, Jiang H, Wang Q, Yu Y, Yu Y, Yi W, Zhou S, Chen T, Lu C, Atadja P, Liu XS, Li E, Zhang Y, Shou J. SETDB1 modulates PRC2 activity at developmental genes independently of H3K9 trimethylation in mouse ES cells. Genome Res 25(9):1325-35, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26160163.
- Martin FJ, Xu Y, Lohmann F, Ciccone DN, Nicholson TB, Loureiro JJ, Chen T, Huang Q. KMT1E mediated chromatin modifications at the FcγRIIb promoter regulate thymocyte development. Genes Immun 16(2):162-9, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25569264.
Invited Articles
- Zeng Y, Chen T. DNA Methylation Reprogramming during Mammalian Development. Genes (Basel) 10(4), 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30934924.
Other Articles
- Xiao Z, He R, Zhao Z, Chen T, Ying Z Dysregulation of epigenetic modifications in inborn errors of immunity. Epigenomics 16(19-20):1301-1313, 2024. PMID: 39404224.
- Zhou, J, Chen, T, Cheng, X One form and two functions. Structure 32(3):258-260, 2024. PMID: 38458157.
- Dan J, Du Z, Zhang J, Chen T The interplay between H3K36 methylation and DNA methylation in cancer. Cancer Biol Med 20(8):545-52, 2023. PMID: 37602556.
- Dan J, Chen T Genetic Studies on Mammalian DNA Methyltransferases. Adv Exp Med Biol 1389:111-136, 2022. PMID: 36350508.
Book Chapters
- Dan, J, Chen, T. Writers, erasers, and readers of DNA and histone methylation marks, 39-63, 2023.
- Dan J, Chen T. Writers, erasers, and readers of DNA and histone methylation marks. In: Epigenetic Cancer Therapy. 2nd Edition. Academic Press, 39-63, 2023.
- Ying Z, Chen T. Mechanisms of DNA methylation and demethylation during mammalian development. In: Handbook of Epigenetics. 3rd Edition. Elsevier, 11-26, 2023.
- Ying, Z, Chen, T. Mechanisms of DNA Methylation and Demethylation During Mammalian Development, 11-26, 2022.
- Ying, Z, Chen, T. Cross Talk Between Noncoding RNAs and DNA Methylation and Demethylation in Cancer, 311-328, 2018.
- Veland, N, Chen, T. Mechanisms of DNA methylation and demethylation during mammalian development, 11-24, 2017.
- Veland N, Chen T. Mechanisms of DNA methylation and demethylation during mammalian development. In: Handbook of Epigenetics. 2nd Edition. Academic Press, 11-24, 2017.
- Ying Z, Chen T. Cross Talk Between Noncoding RNAs and DNA Methylation and Demethylation in Cancer. In: Cancer and Noncoding RNAs. Elsevier, 2017.
- Dan J, Chen T. Genetic studies on mammalian DNA methyltransferases. In: Adv Exp Med Biol. Springer, 123-150, 2016.
- Nicholson, TB, Veland, N, Chen, T. Writers, Readers, and Erasers of Epigenetic Marks, 31-66, 2015.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2023 - 2025 |
| Title: | Preclinical studies of non-nucleoside DNMT3A/3B inhibitors |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | PD/PI |
| ID: | R21CA277152 |
| Date: | 2023 - 2026 |
| Title: | Targeting PRMT5 in MTAP-loss melanoma |
| Funding Source: | DOD/Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (DOD/CDMRP) |
| Role: | Principal Investigator-MDACC |
| ID: | ME220215 |
| Date: | 2023 - 2027 |
| Title: | Role of PRMT7 in Genomic Imprinting |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NICHD |
| Role: | PI |
| ID: | R01HD112473 |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified March 31, 2025