ELIZABETH TAPAROWSKY

The laboratory is interested in proteins that regulate cell growth.  Our current focus is on the Batf family of basic leucine zipper transcription factors (Batf, Batf2, Batf3) which functions to negatively regulate the activity of a transcription factor complex (AP-1) that is found in proliferating cells, including human cancer cells.  Batf and Batf3 are expressed in the immune system and we are exploring how overexpression of these AP-1 inhibitors, or loss-of-function of these inhibitors, impacts the expression of genes important for the development of B and T lymphocytes.  While we can investigate some of these effects using isolated subsets of immune system cells grown in culture, our experiments also rely heavily on observations we make using genetically engineered mice.  Our goal is to provide the basic observations necessary to assess the feasibility of using the Batf as a molecular strategy to control disease states such as cancer.

Education

B.A. Biology, Emmanuel College, Boston, MA, 1976

Ph.D., Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, 1982

Postdoc, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 1982-1984

Postdoc, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 1984-1986