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CHARLES J. BIEBERICH

Associate Professor
Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University, 1987
Postdoctoral, Yale University
bieberic@umbc.edu; FAX (410) 455-3875; Voice (410) 455-3125 

Research Interests

The central theme of my research program is to use transgenic approaches to study how genes function in developmental pathways and to apply that knowledge to the elucidation of human disease mechanisms. As the molecular dissection of development and disease proceeds, it  becomes clear that disease often represents altered development.  A major focus of research in my laboratory is to determine the developmental functions of a family of transcription factors encoded by the Hox genes.  By changing the patterns of expression of Hox genes in transgenic mice, we have begun to dissect their functions during embryogenesis.  These studies have revealed that altering the expression of a Hox gene can induce congenital malformations similar to those that afflict human newborns.  A second focus of my laboratory is to study the molecular basis of organogenesis, using the prostate gland as a model system.  Although the prostate gland is the most disease-prone organ in the human body, the molecular basis of its development is poorly understood. We have characterized two prostate-specific transcription factors, and are studying their roles in prostate differentiation.  Genomic approaches are also being applied to characterize the genetic pathways that dictate prostate organogenesis.  Understanding these developmental processes will facilitate the elucidation of human prostate disease mechanisms.

Selected Publications:

Dai B., Kim O., Xie Y., Guo Z., Xu K., Wang B., Kong X., Melamed J., Chen H., Bieberich CJ., Borowsky AD., Kung HJ., Wei G., Ostrowski MC., Brodie A., and Qiu Y. (2006). Tyrosine kinase Etk/BMX Is up-regulated in human prostate cancer and its overexpression induces prostate intraepithelial neoplasia in mouse. Cancer Res. 66:8058-8064. (Abstract)

Li X., Guan B., Maghami S., and Bieberich CJ. (2006). NKX3.1 is regulated by protein kinase CK2 in prostate tumor cells. Mol. Cell Biol. 26:3008-3017. (Abstract)

:Chen H., Mutton LN., Prins GS., and Bieberich CJ. (2005). Distinct regulatory elements mediate the dynamic expression pattern of Nkx3.1. Dev. Dyn. 234:961-973. (Abstract)

: Chen H., and Bieberich CJ. (2005). Structural and functional analysis of domains mediating interaction between NKX-3.1 and PDEF. J. Cell. Biochem. 94:168-177. (Abstract)

Wubah J.A., Fischer C.M., Rolfzen L.N., Khalili M., Kang J., Green JE., and Bieberich C.J. (2002). Ventral prostate predominant l, a novel mouse gene expressed exclusively in the prostate.  Prostate.51:21-9. (Abstract)

Chen H., Nandi A.K., Li X., and Bieberich C.J. (2002). NKX-3.1 interacts with prostate-derived Ets factor and regulates the activity of the PSA promoter.  Cancer Res. 62:338-40. (Abstract)

Prins, G., Birch, L., Habermann, H., Chang, W., Tebeau, C., Putz, O., and Bieberich, C. (2001). Influence of neonatal estrogens on mature prostate function. Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 13:241-252.

Sreenath, T., Orosz, A., and Bieberich, C. J. 1999. Androgen-independent expression of hoxb-13 in the mouse prostate. The Prostate 41: 203-207. (Abstract)

Bieberich, C. J., Fujita, K., He, W.-W., and Jay, G.  1996.  Prostate-specific and androgen dependent expression of a novel homeobox gene.  J. Biol. Chem. 271:31779-31782. (Abstract)

Sreenath, T. L., Pollock, R. A., and Bieberich, C. J.  1996.  Functional specificity of Hoxa-4 in vertebral patterning lies outside of the homeodomain.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:9636-9640. (Abstract)

Pollock, R.A., Sreenath, T., Ngo, L., and Bieberich, C.J.  1995.  Gain of function mutations for paralogous Hox genes:  Implications for the evolution of Hox gene function. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:4492-4497. (Abstract)