Abhinav K. Jain, Ph.D.
Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, Division of Science
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Research Interests
My research interest is focused on understanding the factors (proteins or non-coding RNAs) that control epigenetic regulation of gene expression during development and disease. The highly intricate epigenetic machinery that interfaces with chromatin to control precise gene expression patterns is often deregulated during disease progression. A more detailed understanding of this epigenetic machinery is necessary to clearly understand the mechanism of specific transcription factor (such as p53) activity during changing cellular states. We investigated p53’s activity during the earliest stages of development by using human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) differentiation as a model system and demonstrated that p53 plays significant roles in altering the cell cycle and epigenetic bivalency to promote differentiation of hESCs. Recently, we identified several p53-regulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that control the stem cell state, including an ESC-specific lncRNA such as LncPRESS1 that safeguards pluripotency by maintaining ES-specific histone acetylation marks. Our long term goals are: a) investigating the roles of lncRNAs as effectors of p53’s activity during earliest stages of human stem cell differentiation, b) extending these studies to determine the relevance and mechanism of lncRNA functions to diseases, such as cancer, and c) delineating the functions of readers of histone post-translational modifications that regulate chromatin dynamics in cancer with ultimate aim of developing targeted therapeutics.
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2007 | Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA, PHD, Pharmacology |
| 2000 | BITS-Pilani, Pilani, IND, ME, Biotechnolgoy |
| 1999 | Institute of Pharmacy, Nagpur University, Nagpur, IND, BPHARM, Pharmacy |
Postgraduate Training
| 2007-2012 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Instructor, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, Division of Basic Science Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2014 - 2017
Instructor, Division of Basic Science Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2012 - 2014
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Bosnakovski D, Gearhart MD, Toso EA, Recht OO, Cucak A, Jain AK, Barton MC, Kyba M. p53-independent DUX4 pathology. Dis Model Mech 10(10), 2017. e-Pub 2017.
- Li J, Xi Y, Li W, McCarth RL, Stratton S, Zou W, Li W, Dent SY, Jain AK and Barton MC. TRIM28 interacts with EZH2 and SWI/SNF to activate genes that promote mammosphere formation. Oncogene 36(21):2991-3001, 2017.
- Abhinav K. Jain, Yuanxin Xi, Ryan McCarthy, Kendra Allton, Kadir C. Akdemir, Lalit R. Patel, Bruce Aronow, Chunru Lin, Wei Li, Liuqing Yang, Michelle C Barton. LncPRESS1 is a p53-regulated lncRNA that safeguards pluripotency by disrupting SIRT6 mediated de-acetylation of histone H3K56. Mol Cell 64(5):967-981, 2016. PMID: 27912097.
- Jain AK, Allton K, Duncan AD, Barton MC. TRIM24 is a p53-induced E3-ubiquitin ligase that undergoes ATM-mediated phosphorylation and autodegradation during DNA damage. Mol Cell Biol 34(14):2695-709, 2014. PMID: 24820418.
- Akdemir KC, Jain AK, Allton K, Aronow B, Xu X, Cooney AJ, Li W, Barton MC. Genome-wide profiling reveals stimulus-specific functions of p53 during differentiation and DNA damage of human embryonic stem cells. Nucleic Acids Res 42(1):205-23, 2014. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24078252.
- Jain AK, Allton K, Iacovino M, Mahen E, Milczarek RJ, Zwaka TP, Kyba M, Barton MC. p53 regulates cell cycle and microRNAs to promote differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. PLoS Biol 10(2):e1001268, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22389628.
- Minard ME, Jain AK, Barton MC. Analysis of epigenetic alterations to chromatin during development. Genesis 47(8):559-72, 2009. PMID: 19603511.
- Allton K, Jain AK, Herz HM, Tsai WW, Jung SY, Qin J, Bergmann A, Johnson RL, Barton MC. Trim24 targets endogenous p53 for degradation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106(28):11612-6, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19556538.
- Lee OH, Jain AK, Papusha V, Jaiswal AK.. An auto-regulatory loop between stress sensors INrf2 and Nrf2 controls their cellular abundance. J Biol Chem 282(50):36412-20, 2007.
- Jain AK, Jaiswal AK. GSK-3beta acts upstream of Fyn kinase in regulation of nuclear export and degradation of NF-E2 related factor 2. J Biol Chem 282(22):16502-10, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 17403689.
- Ahn KS, Sethi G, Jain AK, Jaiswal AK, Aggarwal BB. Genetic deletion of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 abrogates activation of nuclear factor-kappaB, IkappaBalpha kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, Akt, p38, and p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinases and potentiates apoptosis. J Biol Chem 281(29):19798-808, 2006. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 16682409.
- Dhakshinamoorthy S, Jain AK, Bloom DA, Jaiswal AK. Bach1 competes with Nrf2 leading to negative regulation of the antioxidant response element (ARE)-mediated NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 gene expression and induction in response to antioxidants. J Biol Chem 280(17):16891-900, 2005. e-Pub 2005. PMID: 15734732.
Invited Articles
- Jain AK and Barton MC. Bromodomain histone readers and cancer. J Mol Biol 429(13), 2016. PMID: 27890782.
- Jain AK, Barton MC. Outside the p53 RING: Transcription Regulation by Chromatin-Bound MDM2. Mol Cell 62(6):805-807, 2016. PMID: 27315554.
- Jain AK, Barton MC. Unmet expectations: miR-34 plays no role in p53-mediated tumor suppression in vivo. PLoS Genet 8(7):e1002859, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22870065.
- Jain AK, Barton MC. Making sense of ubiquitin ligases that regulate p53. Cancer Biol Ther 10(7):665-72, 2010. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20930521.
- Jain AK, Barton MC. Regulation of p53: TRIM24 enters the RING. Cell Cycle 8(22):3668-74, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19844164.