Morgan Sammons

Principal Investigator
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masammonsobfuscate@albany.edu

I’m an Associate Professor at State University of New York at Albany in the Department of Biology. I’m also a member of The RNA Institute.

I teach the undergraduate courses ABIO 329: Genetics of Human Disease during the Fall semester. In the Spring semester, I co-teach the graduate course ABIO 524: Advanced Molecular Biology which is a core course in our Biology PhD Program.

I also run a research lab. We study the p53 family of transcription factors. This paralogous family controls a number of critical organismal behaviors, including tumor suppression, epithelial differentiation, and control of cilia production. We are interested in how seemingly similar proteins generate incredibly diverse transcriptional and cellular outcomes.

My academic career started at the University of Toledo in the Department of Biological Sciences. I performed undergraduate research in the lab of Dr. Brian Ashburner. Brian is now the Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

I then pursued my PhD at Vanderbilt University where I worked with Dr. Andrew Link. I graduated in 2010.

My postdoctoral work was performed under the mentorship of Dr. Shelley Berger at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Berger runs the Epigenetics Institue in the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn.

Papers

Crosstalk between paralogs and isoforms influences p63-dependent regulatory element activity

p53motifDB - integration of genomic information and tumor suppressor p53 binding motifs

Activation of ATF3 via the integrated stress reponse pathway regulates innate immune response to restrict Zika virus

Determinants of p53 DNA binding, gene regulation, and cell fate decisions

Shared Gene Targets of the ATF4 and p53 Transcriptional Networks

A feedback loop between heterochromatin and the nucleopore complex controls germ-cell to oocyte transition during Drosophila oogenesis

Developmental and Injury-induced Changes in DNA Methylation in Regenerative versus Non-regenerative Regions of the Vertebrate Central Nervous System

p63 and p53 - collaborative partners or dueling rivals?

Tumor suppressor p53 - from engaging DNA to target gene regulation

Comparative gene expression profiling between optic nerve and spinal cord injury in Xenopus laevis reveals a core set of genes inherent in successful regeneration of vertebrate central nervous system axons

Asian Zika Virus Isolate Significantly Changes the Transcriptional Profile and Alternative RNA Splicing Events in a Neuroblastoma Cell Line

Smad4-dependent morphogenic signals control the maturation and axonal targeting of basal vomeronasal sensory neurons to the accessory olfactory bulb

Locally acting transcription factors regulate p53-dependent cis-regulatory element activity

Targeted identification of protein interactions in eukaryotic mRNA translation

Control of p53-dependent transcription and enhancer activity by the p53 family member p63

p63 establishes epithelial enhancers at critical craniofacial development genes

Comparison of genotoxic vs. non-genotoxic stabilization of p53 provides insight into parallel stress-responsive transcriptional networks

Disruption of TET2 promotes the therapeutic efficacy of CD19-targeted T cells

The transcription factor Tfap2e/AP-2ε plays a pivotal role in maintaining the identity of basal vomeronasal sensory neurons

Lysine methylation represses p53 activity in teratocarcinoma cancer cells.

Epigenetic stability of exhausted T cells limits durability of reinvigoration by PD-1 blockade

A rare DNA contact mutation in cancer confers p53 gain-of-function and tumor cell survival via TNFAIP8 induction.

A chromatin-focused siRNA screen for regulators of p53-dependent transcription

Gain-of-function p53 mutants co-opt chromatin pathways to drive cancer growth

Mitotic Stress Is an Integral Part of the Oncogene-Induced Senescence Program that Promotes Multinucleation and Cell Cycle Arrest.

TP53 engagement with the genome occurs in distinct local chromatin environments via pioneer factor activity