Henry M. Sucov , Ph.D.

Research Interests

Research in my lab addresses the role of nuclear receptors in regulating diverse aspects of embryogenesis and postnatal physiology. Nuclear receptors function as hormone-dependent transcription factors, and bind directly to enhancer elements in target genes to activate gene expression. The biochemistry of the nuclear receptors is extremely well characterized, although in most cases it has not yet been possible to connect these biochemical functions (generally obtained from tissue culture or in vitro assays) with biological roles in an animal.

My lab has taken a "reverse genetics" approach to dissect the biological roles of nuclear receptors. We have derived lines of mice in which individual receptor genes have been mutated in the germline, either by conventional gene targeting or more recently by tissue-specific gene targeting. When these mutated alleles are crossed to homozygosity, a variety of phenotypes emerge. By applying modern molecular genetic and biochemical approaches to dissect these phenotypes, we are able to uncover the biological roles of the receptors and their ligands in transcriptional regulation.
Major projects currently under investigation include:
Regulation of fetal cardiomyocyte proliferation.
Regulation of erythropoietic differentiation.
Regulation of cholesterol and fatty acid homeostasis.
Role of neural crest cells in fetal heart development.
Prostate biology and prostate cancer.

I am currently funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Heart Association.

Degrees

California Institute of Technology, PHD, 1989
Oberlin College, BA, 1981

MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS

Memberships

Journal of Anatomy Editorial Board
American Heart Association Undergraduate Research Program Committee
American Heart Association Cardiovascular Development study section

Jiang, X., Iseki, S., Maxson, R.E., Sucov, H.M., and Morriss-Kay, G.M. (2002) Tissue origins and interactions in the mammalian skull vault. Devel. Biol., 241: 106-116.

Kwang, S.J., Brugger, S.M., Lazik, A., Merrill, A.E., Wu, L.-Y., Liu, Y.-H., Ishii, M., Sangiorgi, F.O., Rauchmann, M., Sucov, H.M., Maas, R.L., and Maxson, R.E. (2002) Msx2 is an immediate downstream effector of Pax3 in the development of the murine cardiac neural crest. Development, 129: 527-538.

Wu, X., Wu, J., Huang, J., Powell, W.C., Zheng, J.F., Matusik, R.J., Sangiorgi F.O., Maxson, R.E., Sucov, H.M., and Roy-Burman, P. (2001) Generation of a prostate epithelial cell specific Cre transgenic mouse model for tissue specific gene ablation. Mech. Devel. 101: 61-69.

Brewer, S. Jiang, X., Donaldson, S., Williams, T., and Sucov, H.M. (2002) Requirement for AP-2a in cardiac outflow tract morphogenesis. Mech. Devel., 110: 139-149.

Makita, T., Hernandez-Hoyas, G., Chen, T. H.-P., Wu, H., Rothenberg, E.V., and Sucov, H.M. (2001) A developmental transition in definitive erythropoiesis: erythropoietin expression is sequentially regulated by retinoic acid receptors and HNF4. Genes & Devel., 15: 889-901.

Wan, Y.-J., Cai, Y., Lungo, W., Fu, P., Locker, J., French, S., and Sucov, H.M. (2000) Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor a-mediated pathways are altered in hepatocyte-specific RXRa-deficient mice. J. Biol. Chem. 275: 28285-28290.

Chai, Y., Jiang, X., Ito, Y., Bringas, P., Han, J., Rowitch, D.H., Soriano, P., McMahon, A.P., and Sucov, H.M. (2000) Fate of mammalian cranial neural crest during tooth and mandibular morphogenesis. Development 127: 1671-1679.

Jiang, X., Choudhary, B., Merki, E., Chien, K.R., Maxson, R.E., and Sucov, H.M. (2002) Normal fate and altered function of the cardiac neural crest cell lineage in retinoic acid receptor mutant embryos. Mech. Devel., in press.

Jiang, X., Rowitch, D.H., Soriano, P., McMahon, A.P., and Sucov, H.M. (2000) Fate of the mammalian cardiac neural crest. Development 127: 1607-1616.

Wan, Y.-J., An, D., Cai, Y., Repa, J.J., Chen, H.-P., Flores, M., Postic, C., Magnuson, M.A., Chen, J., Chien, K.R., French, S., Mangelsdorf, D.J., and Sucov, H.M. (2000) Hepatocyte-specific mutation establishes RXRa as a heterodimeric integrator of multiple physiological processes in the liver. Molec. Cell. Biol. 20: 4436-4444.

Chen, T. H.-P., Chang, T.-C., Kang, J.-O., Choudhary, B., Makita, T., Tran, C.M., Burch, J.B.E., Eid, H., and Sucov, H.M. (2002) Epicardial induction of fetal cardiomyocyte proliferation via a retinoic acid-inducible trophic factor. Devel. Biol., in press.

Huang, J., Powell, W.C., Khodavirdi, A.C., Wu, J., Makita, T., Cardiff, R.D., Cohen, M.B., Sucov, H.M., and Roy-Burman, P. (2002) Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia in mice with conditional disruption of the RXRa allele in the prostate epithelium. Cancer Research, in press.