Tomas Prolla
Associate Professor of Genetics and Medical Genetics
- Lab Home Page:
- Prolla Lab
- Address:
- 5302A Genetics/Biotech
- Telephone:
- 265-5204
- Email:
- taprolla@wisc.edu
- Research Fields:
- Genomics
- Human and Mammalian
- Gene Expression
Ph.D., Yale University, 1994
Postdoctoral Research: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Interests
DNA repair, cancer and the aging process
Research Description
My laboratory is currently focused on understanding the molecular basis of the aging process and common age-related human diseases through the use of large-scale gene expression analysis. We have recently characterized the gene expression profile of thousands of genes during the aging process of skeletal muscle and brain using “DNA-chips.” We are currently extending these studies to multiple tissues of mice, humans and rhesus monkeys. We complement these studies with the generation of transgenic and “knock-out” mice that overexpress or are deficient in specific genes, and analyze the influence of these interventions on the aging process. Other studies include the effects of DNA repair pathways in cancer, and the role of micronutrients in cancer prevention.
Representative Publications
- Kujoth, G.C., Hiona, A., Pugh, T.D., Someya, S., Panzer, K.,Wohlgemuth, S.E., Hofer, T., Seo, A.Y., Sullivan, R., Jobling, W.A., Morrow, J.D., Van Remmen H., Sedivy, J.M., Yamasoba, T., Tanokura, M., Weindruch, R., Leeuwenburgh, C. and Prolla, T.A. 2005. Mitochondrial DNA mutations, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in mammalian aging. Science. 309:481-4.
- Prolla, T.A., Baker, S.M., Harris, A.C., Tsao, J.L., Yao, X., Bronner, C.E., Zheng, B., Gordon, M., Reneker, J., Arnheim, N., Shibata, D., Bradley, A. and Liskay, R.M. 1998. Tumour susceptibility and spontaneous mutation in mice deficient in Mlh1, Pms1 and Pms2 DNA mismatch repair. Nat Genet. 18:276-279.
- Lee, C.K., Klopp, R.G., Weindruch, R. and Prolla, T.A. 1999. Gene expression profile of aging and its retardation by caloric restriction. Science. 285:1390-3.