Members
Paul Knoepfler
Professor
2425 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 453-2289
knoepfler (at) ucdavis.edu
Education
- B.A. English Literature, Reed College, Portland, OR 1989
- Ph.D. Molecular Pathology, UCSD, Mark Kamps Lab 1998
- Post-Doc, Bob Eisenman Lab, Fred Hutchinson CRC
Research Interests
The Knoepfler Lab conducts developmental biology, stem cell, and cancer research with a focus on chromatin and epigenetic mechanisms. We are particularly interested in regulation of normal brain growth and how epigenomic programming goes awry in childhood brain tumors and microcephaly.
The Knoepfler Lab is interested in epigenetics and chromatin, and the cellular machinery that regulates these states normally in stem cells and aberrantly in cancer, particularly pediatric brain tumors, as well as during faulty brain development such as occurs with microcephaly. There are many, exciting open questions in these areas of research. For instance, what are the shared and distinct molecular events in normal and cancer stem cells? Do some of these same molecules impact brain growth in microcephaly? What about childhood brain tumors?
We use cutting edge molecular, cellular and developmental biology methods including brain organoids as well as genomic and gene editing technologies to attack these questions. We are particularly interested now in the roles that the histone variant H3.3 and MYC family factors play in stem cells and cancer. How do these factors link together the epigenome to cellular behaviors and tissue growth?
Our big picture goal is to impact human health through discoveries in development, cancer and stem cell biology. Join us! We are currently as of 2018 looking for a talented postdoctoral fellow to join our team, and we are always recruiting new graduate and undergraduate students as well.
Also, please see Dr. Knoepfler’s independent lab page for more information.
Dr. Knoepfler runs a regenerative medicine blog, The Niche.
2021
Kim M, Knoepfler PS. Anticipated impact of stem cell and other cellular medicine clinical trials for COVID-19. Regen Med. 2021 Jun 11. doi: 10.2217/rme-2021-0025. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34114493.
Klein RH, Knoepfler PS. Stem cell models help crack regional oncohistone codes driving childhood gliomas. Cell Stem Cell. 2021 May 6;28(5):785-787. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.04.013. PMID: 33961758.
2020
Chen, KY., Bush, K., Klein, R.H. et al. Reciprocal H3.3 gene editing identifies K27M and G34R mechanisms in pediatric glioma including NOTCH signaling. Commun Biol 3, 363 (2020). Download PDF
2019
Rapid change of a cohort of 570 unproven stem cell clinics in the USA over 3 years. Knoepfler PS. Regen Med. 2019 Aug 28. doi: 10.2217/rme-2019-0064. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 31456478 Download PDF
2018
Gene editing: sloppy definitions mislead. Knoepfler P. Nature. 2018 Dec;564(7736):345. doi: 10.1038/d41586-018-07802-2. No abstract available. PMID: 30568213 Download PDF
Mapping and driving the stem cell ecosystem. Knoepfler PS. Regen Med. 2018 Oct;13(7):845-858. doi: 10.2217/rme-2018-0056. Epub 2018 Oct 5. PMID: 30289055
Genomic functions of developmental pluripotency associated factor 4 (Dppa4) in pluripotent stem cells and cancer. Klein RH, Tung PY, Somanath P, Fehling HJ, Knoepfler PS. Stem Cell Res. 2018 Jul 19;31:83-94. doi: 10.1016/j.scr.2018.07.009. [Epub ahead of print] Download PDF
Too Much Carrot and Not Enough Stick in New Stem Cell Oversight Trends. Knoepfler PS. Cell Stem Cell. 2018 Jul 5;23(1):18-20. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2018.06.004. Epub 2018 Jun 21. Download PDF
The FDA and the US direct-to-consumer marketplace for stem cell interventions: a temporal analysis. Knoepfler PS, Turner LG., Regen Med. 2018 Jan 12. doi: 10.2217/rme-2017-0115. [Epub ahead of print]
ERBB3-Binding Protein (EBP1) is a novel DPPA4 cofactor in human pluripotent cells. Somanath P, Bush KM, Knoepfler PS., Stem Cells. 2018 Jan 12. doi: 10.1002/stem.2776. [Epub ahead of print] Download PDF
2017
Priyanka Somanath, Rachel Herndon Klein, Paul S. Knoepfler. CRISPR-mediated HDAC2 disruption identifies two distinct classes of target genes in human cells. PLOS. 2017 October 5, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185627 Download PDF
Martinez-Cerdeno V, Barrilleaux B, McDonough A, Ariza J, Yuen B, Somanath P, Le C, Steward C, Horton K, Knoepfler P. Behavior of xeno-transplanted undifferentiated human induced pluripotent stem cells is impacted by microenvironment without evidence of tumors. Stem Cells Dev. 2017 Jul 10. doi: 10.1089/scd.2017.0059. Download PDF
2016
Turner L, Knoepfler P. Selling Stem Cells in the USA: Assessing the Direct-to-Consumer Industry. Cell Stem Cell. 2016 Jun 29. pii: S1934-5909(16)30157-6. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2016.06.007. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 27374789. Download PDF
Review of Stem Cell Dialogues by Sheldon Krimsky(1). Knoepfler PS. Am J Bioeth. 2016 Apr;16(4):W12-3. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2016.1145756. Download PDF
When patients reach out, scientists should reach back carefully. Knoepfler PS. Nat Med. 2016 Mar 3;22(3):230. doi: 10.1038/nm0316-230. Download PDF
2015
Reviewing post-publication peer review. Knoepfler P., Trends Genet. 2015 May;31(5):221-3. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2015.03.006. Epub 2015 Apr 4. Download PDF
From bench to FDA to bedside: US regulatory trends for new stem cell therapies. Knoepfler PS., Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2015 Mar;82-83C:192-196. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2014.12.001. Epub 2014 Dec 7. Review. Download PDF
2014
Histone H3.3 regulates dynamic chromatin states during spermatogenesis. Yuen BT, Bush KM, Barrilleaux BL, Cotterman R, Knoepfler PS. Development. 2014 Aug 19. pii: dev.106450. [Epub ahead of print] Download PDF
Miz-1 Activates Gene Expression via a Novel Consensus DNA Binding Motif.. Barrilleaux BL, Burow D, Lockwood SH, Yu A, Segal DJ, Knoepfler PS. PLoS One. 2014 Jul 1;9(7):e101151. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101151. eCollection 2014. Download PDF
Epigenetic mechanisms of tumorigenicity manifesting in stem cells.. Tung PY, Knoepfler PS. Oncogene. 2014 Jun 16;0. doi: 10.1038/onc.2014.172. [Epub ahead of print] Download PDF
2013
Histone H3.3 Mutations: A Variant Path to Cancer. BTK Yuen, PS Knoepfler. Cancer cell 24 (5), 567-574. Download PDF
Identification of DPPA4 and DPPA2 as a Novel Family of Pluripotency‐Related Oncogenes. PY Tung, NV Varlakhanova, PS Knoepfler. STEM CELLS 31 (11), 2330-2342. Download PDF
Key Action Items for the Stem Cell Field: Looking Ahead to 2014. PS Knoepfler. Stem cells and development. Download PDF
Scientists: you really need to get out of the lab more. Knoepfler PS. Nat Med. 2013 Sep 6;19(9):1086. doi: 10.1038/nm0913-1086. Download PDF
Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays for myc and N-myc. Barrilleaux BL, Cotterman R, Knoepfler PS. The Myc Gene, 117-133. Download PDF
Automation of Library Preparation for High-resolution ChIP-seq Profiling. IM Henry, R Cotterman, P Knoepfler, L Comai, RW Kim, H O’Geen. Journal of Biomolecular Techniques. 2013. JBT 24 (Suppl), S45. Download PDF
Laskowski AI and Knoepfler PS. Myc binds the pluripotency factor Utf1 through the basic-helix-loop-helix leucine zipper domain. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. Download PDF
Endogenous mammalian histone H3.3 exhibits chromatin-related functions during development. Bush KM, Yuen BT, Barrilleaux BL, Riggs JW, O Geen H, Cotterman R, Knoepfler PS. Epigenetics Chromatin. 2013 Apr 9;6(1):7. Download PDF
Riggs JW, Barrilleaux B, Varlakhanova N, Bush K, Chan V, and Knoepfler PS. Induced pluripotency and oncogenic transformation are related processes. Stem Cells & Dev. 2013 Jan 1;22(1):37-50. Download PDF
Knoepfler PS. Call for fellowship programs in stem cell-based regenerative and cellular medicine: new stem cell training is essential for physicians. Regen Med. 2013 Mar;8(2):223-5. Download PDF