Klaus Becker, PhD. Assistant Professor Center of Cancer Systems Biology Caritas St.Elizabeth's Medical Center Tufts University School of Medicine 736 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02135   Tel: tbc Mail: klanbe [at] gmail.com Klaus maintains a personal webpage at http://www.klausabecker.com.

Education and Training:
2004 - 2009 Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
1998 - 2004 Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
1994 - 1997 Columbian University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY
1989 - 1994 Universitaet des Saarlandes, Medizinische Fakultaet, Institut fuer Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene Abteilung Virologie, Homburg, Germany
1988 Vordiplom in Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Mathematics, Universitaet Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
1984 Abitur, Heinrich-Heine Gymnasium, Kaiserslautern, Germany

Appointments:
2006 - 2009 Scientific advisor at the core facility for human Embryonic Stem cells, Department of Cell Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA

Awards:
2006 - 2009 Ruth L. Kirschenstein National Research Award (NRSA), Institutional Research Training Grant (T32)

Research Experience:
Recent work encompassed the growth of human embryonic stem (ES) cells. Human ES cells were found to have a shortened cell cycle (16h) due to an abbreviated G1 cell cycle phase (2.5h). A truncated G1 cell cycle phase renders the growth factor dependent restriction (R) point non-operative, and gives human ES cells an unlimited growth potential as well as supporting self-renewal and pluripotency. Conversely, human ES cells maintain a functional S restriction point at the G1/S cell cycle transition. Human ES cells support an abbreviated G1 cell cycle phase through the selective use of cyclin D2. In contrast, during early lineage commitment a switch to cyclin D1 occurs. In addition, the restriction point at the G1/S transition is directly dependent on Cdk/p220NPAT regulatory mechanisms.

Research Interests:

Cell growth, cell cycle, and tumorigenesis
• Stem cell differentiation, dedifferentiation, and stem cell niche
• Transcription, nuclear architecture, and microRNA
• Intercellular communication and microenvironment

Publications:

• Becker, K. A., Ghule, P., Stein, J. L., Lian, J. B., van Wijnen, A. J. Stein, G. S. (2009) Cyclin D2 and the CDK substrate p220220 are required for self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells. Cell Stem Cells; submitted.
• Becker, K. A., Stein, J. L., Lian, J. B., van Wijnen, A. J., Stein, G. S. (2009) Human embryonic stem cells are pre-mitotically committed to initiate self-renewal and exhibit a lengthened G1 phase upon programming. Journal of Cellular Physiology; in press.
• Ghule, P., Dominski, Z., Yang, X.C., Marzluff, W., Becker, K.A., Harper, J.W., Lian, J., Stein, J., van Wijnen, A.J. and Stein, G.S. (2008) Staged assembly of histone gene expression machinery at subnuclear foci in the abbreviated cell cycle of human embryonic stem cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105: 16964 - 16969
• Hall, L.L., Byron, M., Butler, J., Becker, K.A., Nelson, A., Amit, M., Itskovitz-Eldor, J., Stein, J., Stein, G., Ware, C. and Lawrence, J.B. (2008) X-inactivation reveals epigenetic anomalies in most hESC but identifies sublines that initiate as expected. Journal of Cellular Physiology 216: 445 - 452
• Lu, S., Becker, K.A., Hagen, M. J., Yan, H., Roberts, A.L., Mathews, L.A., Schneider, S.S., Siegelmann, H.T., MacBeth, K.J., Tirrell, S.M., Blanchard, J.L. and Jerry, D.J. (2008) Transcriptional responses to estrogen and progesterone in mammary gland identify networks regulating p53 activity. Endocrinology 149: 4809 - 20
• Ghule, P.N., Becker, K.A., Harper, J.W., Lian, J.B., Stein, J.L., van Wijnen, A.J. and Stein G.S. (2007) Cell Cycle Dependent Phosphorylation and Subnuclear Organization of the Histone Gene Regulator p220NPAT in Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Journal of Cellular Physiology 213: 9 - 17
• Becker, K.A., Stein, J.L. van Wijnen, A.J. and Stein G.S. (2007) Establishment of histone gene regulation and cell cycle checkpoint control in human embryonic stem cells. Journal of Cellular Physiology 210: 517 - 526
• Becker, K.A., Ghule, P., Therrien, J., Lian, J., Stein, J., van Wijnen, A. and Stein, G. (2006) Self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells is supported by a shortened G1 cell cycle phase. Journal of Cellular Physiology 209: 883 - 893.
• Becker, K.A., Lu, S., Dickinson, E.S., Dunphy, K.A., Matthews, L., Schneider, S.S. and Jerry, D. J. (2005). Estrogen and progesterone regulate radiation-induced p53 activity in mammary epithelium through TGF-β dependent pathways. Oncogene 24(42): 6345 - 6353.
• Jerry, D.J., Minter, L.M., Becker, K.A. and Blackburn, A.C. (2002). Hormonal control of p53 and chemoprevention. Breast Cancer Research 4(3): 91 - 94.
• Alexander, C.M., Reichsman, F., Hinkes, M.T., Lincecum, J., Becker, K.A., Cumberledge, S. and Bernfield, M. (2000). Syndecan-1 is required for Wnt-1-induced mammary tumorigenesis in mice. Nature Genetics 25(3): 329 - 332.