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UC Davis experts: Experts on genomics

This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important discoveries of modern science, the double helix structure of DNA. Since 1953, DNA research has had an impact on everything from biology, agriculture and medicine to criminal law and justice, art and politics. At UC Davis, one of the nation's leading research universities in biological sciences, a wide range of experts are available to discuss the significance of Watson and Crick's discovery; current research in DNA; and what the future may hold.

Center for Genomics at UC Davis

The Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility, a $90 million building currently under construction at UC Davis, will house the UC Davis Center for Genomics and other research groups in biomedical sciences. Leading the center is associate director Craig Benham, an expert in DNA structure and bioinformatics. Working out the information content of genome sequences and how their genes are regulated together are the next challenges in genomic science, he said. Benham, who also has appointments in the departments of of mathematics and biomedical engineering, is a mathematician who studies how the structure of DNA and stresses on the molecule can affect gene function. Before joining UC Davis, he was a professor of biomathematical sciences at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Contact: Craig Benham, Biomedical Engineering, (530) 754-9647, cjbenham@ucdavis.edu.

Genomics technology

UC Davis researchers have access to DNA sequencing technology and services through facilities such as the Division of Biological Sciences' DNA Sequencing Facility and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Genomics Facility. The college's facility also provides access to robotics equipment for high-throughput tasks. Contacts and more information: Sheryl Bernauer, Division of Biological Sciences DNA sequencing facility, (530) 754-9259, slbernauer@ucdavis.edu; Douglas Cook, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Genomics Facility, (530) 754-6561, drcook@ucdavis.edu.

Plant and animal genomes

As a leading center for research in biology, veterinary medicine, agricultural and environmental sciences, it's not surprising that UC Davis faculty are studying the genetics and genomics of an unusually wide range of plants and animals.

Domestic cats and other companion animals: Leslie Lyons, Veterinary Medicine, (530) 754-5546, lalyons@ucdavis.edu

Horses: Jim Murray, Animal Science, (530) 752-3179, jdmurray@ucdavis.edu

Fish including salmon and sturgeon: Bernie May, Genomic Variation Laboratory, (530) 754-8123, bpmay@ucdavi.edu

Cotton: Thea Wilkins, Agronomy and Range Science, (530) 752-0614, tawilkins@ucdavis.edu

Beans: Paul Gepts, Agronomy and Range Science, (530) 752-7743; plgepts@ucdavis.edu

Cabbages, celery: Carlos Quiros, Vegetable Crops, (530) 752-1734, cfquiros@ucdavis.edu

Lettuce, tomato, Arabidopsis: Richard Michelmore, Vegetable Crops, (530) 752-1729, rwmichelmore@ucdavis.edu

Wheat and cereals: Jan Dvorak, Agronomy and Range Science, (530) 752-6549, jdvorak@ucdavis.edu

Forest trees: David Neale, Environmental Horticulture, (530) 754-8431, dneale@dendrome.ucdavis.edu

Mouse Biology Program

The laboratory mouse is the preeminent model for human and animal genomics research. Mice are well defined genetically and their genome can be precisely manipulated, allowing researchers to breed mice with specific genetic qualities. The UC Davis Mouse Biology Program, based at the Center for Comparative Medicine, provides a valuable scientific resource for the biomedical research community, including teaching and training opportunities, mouse molecular genetics and embryo manipulation services, and research to develop new technologies. These resources are available to researchers at UC Davis, and regionally, nationally and internationally. More information: mbp@ucdavis.edu.

Contacts: Stephen Barthold, director, Mouse Biology Program, (530) 752-7913, swbarthold@ucdavis.edu; Kent Lloyd, director, Murine Targeted Genetics Laboratory, (530) 752-7974, kclloyd@ucdavis.edu.

Diet, genes and 'nutrigenomics'

Diet can be a serious risk factor for a number of diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and some cancers, but the exact effect of different components of food may depend on your individual genetic makeup. For example, a single letter change in DNA in people living in Scandinavia 10,000 years ago allows most Caucasian adults today to drink milk without getting sick due to lactose intolerance. The new National Center of Excellence in Nutritional Genomics, a joint venture between UC Davis and the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), aims to identify genes controlled by naturally occurring chemicals in food and study how these genes can tip the balance between health and disease. The center, directed by Raymond Rodriguez, professor of molecular and cellular biology at UC Davis, is supported by a five-year, $6.5 million grant from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

Contacts: Raymond Rodriguez, Molecular and Cellular Biology, (530) 752-3263, rlrodriguez@ucdavis.edu; Bertram Lubin, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, (510) 450-7601, blubin@chori.org

Obesity and genetics

Craig Warden, associate professor of neurobiology, physiology and behavior and of pediatrics at UC Davis, identifies genes linked to obesity in mice and searches for their human counterparts using databases of the human genome and comparison to humans with common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A number of genes linked to obesity have been found by researchers at UC Davis and elsewhere, including uncoupling protein 2 (UCP-2). Common natural alleles (variants) of UCP-2 have been consistently associated with obesity, making this the best example so far of a gene known to influence a significant proportion of human obesity, Warden said. Researchers can insert the DNA for these genes into mice to study their effects. Overall, it's still difficult to estimate how much genetics contributes to conditions such as obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol, Warden said. Contact: Craig Warden, Rowe Program in Genetics, (530) 752-4187, chwarden@ucdavis.edu.

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Last updated January 22, 2004