Priess Lab
Principal Investigator: James R Priess
Institution: Fred Hutch Cancer Center (Seattle, WA)
Primary Subfield: Genetics/Genomics
Recruitment Status: ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
Project Summary/Abstract The nematode C. elegans is a leading experimental and genetic model for aging, and both public and private institutions have made enormous investments in aging research in this system. Several lines of evidence show that the intestine is the major tissue affecting healthy lifespan in C. elegans. The intestine is likely to be a sensitive and early indicator of age-dependent cellular stress, as the intestine lacks an apoptosis pathway or stem cell population to remove or replace damaged cells. Intestinal nuclei have been shown to undergo progressive deterioration during aging, including the loss of entire nuclei. Old, abnormal intestinal nuclei show a loss of peripheral heterochromatin, a disruption of chromosomal organization, and the accumulation of intranuclear bodies that contain the protein lamin. Recent studies showed that some intestinal nuclei show abnormalities as early as the first two days of adulthood, and that these early abnormalities include the formation of lamin-containing nuclear bodies and the loss of peripheral heterochromatin. Because these defects occur early in development, they are likely to represent critical events that drive nuclear…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R01AG088223-03: Tissue Mechanisms of Aging in the Genetic Model C. elegans (2026)
- 5R01AG088223-02: Tissue Mechanisms of Aging in the Genetic Model C. elegans (2025)
- 1R01AG088223-01: Tissue Mechanisms of Aging in the Genetic Model C. elegans (2024)
Explore 700+ US Biology Labs on FindBioLabs.com