Research Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Stony Brook
USA
Research Professor, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University.
EDUCATION:
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel B.Sc. 1977-1980 Biology
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel M.Sc. 1981-1984 Biochemistry
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Ph.D. 1985-1990 Biochemistry
University of California, Berkeley, CA Post doc 1990-1995 Molecular Biology
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
1996-1997 Research Scientist, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University
1998-2005 Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University
2005-2007 Research Associate Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University
2007-2012 Research Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University
2008-present Independent investigator Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
2012-present Research Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University
2013-present Research Professor, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University
PUBLICATIONS:
1. Ballas, N., Wong, L.M., and Theologis, A. (1993) The auxin-responsive sequences in the early auxin-induced gene PS-IAA4/5 contain a conserved motif that binds nuclear proteins. J. Mol. Biol. 233, 580-596 .
2. Koshiba, T., Ballas, N., Wong, L.M., and Theologis, A. (1995) Regulation of PS-IAA4/5 and PS-IAA6 early gene expression by indoleacetic acid and protein synthesis in pea (Pissum sativum). J. Mol. Biol. 253, 396-413.
3. Ballas, N., Wong, L.M., Ke, M., and Theologis, A. (1995) The early auxin-induced gene PS-IAA4/5 is regulated by two functional modules which interact with positive transcription factor(s) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 3483-3487.
4. Abel, S., Ballas, N., Wong, L.M., and Theologis, A. (1996) DNA elements responsive to auxin. Bioassays 18, 647-654.
5. Ballas, N. and Citovsky, V. (1997) AtKAPa gene from Arabidopsis (Accession No. U69533) encodes a protein that mediates nuclear import of Agrobacterium VirD2 protein (PGR97-129). Plant Physiol. 115, 314.
6. Ballas, N. and Citovsky, V. (1997) Nuclear localization signal binding protein from Arabidopsis mediates nuclear import of Agrobacterium VirD2 protein. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 10723-10728.
7. Andres, M.E., Burger, C., Peral-Rubio, M.J., Battaglioli, E., Anderson, M.E., Grimes, J., Dallman, J., Ballas, N., and Mandel, G. (1999) CoREST: a functional corepressor required for regulation of neural-specific gene expression. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 9873-9878.
8. Ballas, N., Battaglioli, E., Atouf, F., Andres, M.E., Chenoweth, J., Anderson, M.E., Burger, C., Moniwa, M., Davie, J.R., Bowers, W.J., Federoff, H.J., Rose D., Rosenfeld M. G., Brehm P., and Mandel, G. (2001) Regulation of neuronal traits by a novel transcriptional complex. Neuron 31, 353-365 .
9. Ballas, N., Grunseich, C., Lu, D.D., Speh, J.C., and Mandel, G. (2005) REST and its corepressors mediate plasticity of neuronal gene chromatin throughout neurogenesis. Cell 121, 645-657 .
10. Ballas, N. and Mandel, G. (2005) The many faces of REST oversee epigenetic epigenetic programming of neuronal genes. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 15, 500-506.
11. Ballas, N., Lioy, D.T., Grunseich, C., and Mandel, G. (2009) Non-cell autonomous influence of MeCP2-deficient glia on neuronal dendritic morphology: a cellular model for Rett Syndrome. Nat. Neurosci. 12, 311-3174.
12. Lioy, D. T., Monaghan, C., Hirrlinger, F.K., Bissonnete, J.M., Ballas, N., and Mandel, G. (2011) A role for glia in progression of Rett’s Syndrome. Nature, 475, 497-500.
13. Mandel, G., Fiondella, C., Covey, M., Lu, D.D., LoTurco, J.J., and Ballas, N. (2011) REST controls radial migration and temporal neuronal specification during nervous system development. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 108, 16789-96794.
14. Covey, M.V., Streb, J., Spektor, R., and Ballas, N. (2012) REST regulates the pool size of the different neural lineages by restricting the generation of neurons and oligodendrocytes from neural stem/progenitor cells. Development, 139, 2878-28905.
15. Nguyen, M.V.C, Du, F., Felice, C.A., Nigam, A., Mandel, G., Robinson, J.K., and Ballas, N. (2012) MeCP2 is critical for maintaining the mature neuronal networks and global brain anatomy during late stages of postnatal brain development. J. Neurosci. 32, 10021-10034.
16. Nguyen, M.V.C, Felice, C.A., Du, F., Covey, M.V., Robinson, J.K., Mandel, G., and Ballas, N. (2013) Oligodendrocyte lineage cells contribute unique features to Rett Syndrome neuropathology. J. Neurosci. 33, 18764-187746.
17. Cargnin, F., Nechiporuk, T., Mullendorff, K., Blackshear, P., Ballas, N., and Mandel, G. (2014) An RNA binding protein promotes axonal integrity in peripheral neurons by destabilizing REST. J. Neurosci. 34, 16650-16661.
18. Du, F., Nguyen, M.V.C, Felice, C.A., and Ballas, N. (2015) Acute and crucial requirement for MeCP2 function upon transition from early to late adult stage of brain maturation. HMG under review.
