After giving a talk in Seattle about chromosome pairing, Chao-ting (Ting) Wu boarded the redeye flight back to Boston and settled in to read a new research paper on an odd new discovery in the human genome. “It was so exciting, I had to get up and walk around on the plane,” she says. “I could not stay in my seat.”
The paper that had Wu pacing the aisle that day was the first report describing DNA sequences called ultraconserved elements (UCEs), from Gill Bejerano in David Haussler’s group at UC Santa Cruz. UCEs are nucleotide sequences more than 200 nucleotides long that are identical in the human, rat, and mouse genomes. It’s incredibly unlikely that a sequence that long could remain unchanged over hundreds of millions of years of evolution, and yet Bejerano reported finding 481 of them.
“I remember reading it and thinking, how can that be?” Wu says. “How could we have missed this? How can something be so important and so hidden?”
Intrigued, Wu began studying UCEs in her own lab. “They are considered by some to be the longest-standing mystery of the genome era,” she says. “We don’t have an explanation for why any genome would retain even one sequence that long. The reason my lab studies it is this: pairing could be a very simple explanation.”
Wu has spent decades studying how homologous chromosomes pair up. Once considered a quirk of Drosophila’s genome, the idea that chromosomes communicate by coming into contact with each other is now being studied in mammals, fungi, and even plants. “It’s moved from being an ‘artifact’ to possibly being a universal way in which homologous chromosomes can communicate,” Wu says. “That’s been extremely exciting to see.”
Wu’s studies began when she was a graduate student with William Gelbart, who was a professor at Harvard University and a previous awardee of the George W. Beadle Award, and continued in her own laboratory with Jim Morris, a graduate student and now a professor at Brandeis University, and Pam Geyer, a professor at the University of Iowa. These studies focused on transvection, in which gene expression can be regulated by interactions between homologous alleles on different chromosomes. If the basis of UCEs is pairing, she speculates, that could explain why the sequences cannot tolerate changes.
This model aligns two otherwise incongruous observations. First, she and Adnan Derti, a graduate student and now at Auron Therapeutics, discovered that copy number variation of a UCE – a deletion or duplication – is rarely found in healthy individuals. On the other hand, other groups found that some UCEs can be deleted from both chromosomes without causing lethality in mice. The pairing model, however, predicts exactly such outcomes for UCEs whose function is to pair.
Perhaps these perfectly conserved regions act as “guardians of the genome,” she speculates, helping preserve the integrity of the full set of chromosomes. Understanding them could ultimately provide protection from disease.
“She’s always thinking about the weird and the wonderful, and what are the things we have no idea about,” says Jack Bateman, a former postdoc who studied transvection and now heads his own lab at Bowdoin College. “She’s so fun to talk to because she just has these ideas that are different.”
In addition to her work as professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, she directs the Consortium for Space Genetics and the Personal Genetics Education Project (pgEd), a public engagement program intended to empower citizens to educate themselves about the genomic technologies that pervade our modern society. This team of scientists, social scientists, educators, and community organizers work with schools, teachers, policymakers, filmmakers, communities of faith, and other groups to prompt conversations about the benefits and ethical and social implications of genetics.
For all of these diverse contributions, Ting Wu has been awarded the 2021 George W. Beadle Award from the Genetics Society of America, which recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers beyond an exemplary research career.
“She’s so passionate about things,” says Pamela Geyer, professor of biochemistry at the University of Iowa, one of the scientists who nominated Wu for the award. “She pushes you to think about things in a different way.”
At some point thinking becomes experimenting, and, eventually, time came to get a good look at the chromosomes, themselves. Thanks to work done in Wu’s lab, geneticists have powerful tools to visualize the 3D shapes of chromosomes and trace the dynamic system as they interact.
This story begins with Ben Williams, a graduate student and now with Helmsley Charitable Trust, whose idea for Oligopaints was demonstrated and then advanced by Brian Beliveau, a graduate student and now an assistant professor at the University of Washington, and Eric Joyce, a postdoctoral fellow and now an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Oligopaints are low-cost fluorescent probes that hybridize to specific locations along the chromosomes and, led by Beliveau, the Wu group and her collaborators, Peng Yin and Xiaowei Zhuang, professors at Harvard Medcial School and Harvard University, respectively, enabled Oligopaints to image chromosomes in super-resolution. “It’s been very exciting,” says Wu. “The super-resolution structures are giving us true measurements of distance, volume, and shape, and we are now looking at greater and greater expanses of the genome. We’re seeing how completely dynamic the genome can be.”
The infectious enthusiasm that has propelled her lab into uncharted scientific waters has also spilled over into the realm of education. The advent of home genetic testing and personal genomics sparked lots of probing conversations among her lab members about communicating with the public about the social and ethical considerations around advances in genetics.
“Have we communicated enough with everybody, non-scientists, about genetics?” Wu muses. “So that when these technologies come out, they are informed enough to make decisions for themselves about whether they want to use those technologies?”
To learn what questions were percolating through the community, she and her husband, geneticist George Church, and their daughter, Marie, took a road trip across the country to talk to people who had volunteered their DNA for the Personal Genome Project. “These were people from all walks of life,” Wu says. “We came back so much more enriched by their conversations and so much more knowledgeable about the challenges that we had to address.”
That trip sparked her to co-found the Personal Genetics Education Project, or pgEd, with Bateman and Dana Waring, who is the Education Director. The program started by visiting local high schools and making presentations in biology classrooms. Realizing that they wouldn’t get too far just visiting individual schools, the team began publishing curriculum and teacher training materials to spread genetics education into more classrooms, particularly those where students might not have a strong background in genetics or biology. But Wu emphasizes that the goal isn’t to teach the nuts and bolts of DNA, or recruit students into STEM careers. Rather, she says, pgEd seeks to spark curiosity and debate, such that when students encounter genetic technology in their lives, they feel qualified to ask questions.
“We’re not talking about what DNA bases are,” she says. “We’re talking about interesting things people might want to know to help them navigate their lives. When people are interested, they start asking questions. We’re hoping that when a physician comes along and says, ‘we’re going to do this DNA test,’ they aren’t silent, thinking, ‘oh, this person knows a lot more than I do.’ Instead, they will feel confident enough to ask questions, and I think that is the greatest protection you can give somebody. Laws are helpful, but one-on-one in a doctor’s office, you need the confidence that you can hold your own in a conversation about genetics. That’s what we’re going for.”
pgEd, whose activities are coordinated by Marnie Gelbart, Director of Programs, has spread well beyond schools into TV and film, congressional briefings, and faith communities. Recently, Gelbart, Robin Bowman (Professional Development Associate), and Nadine Vincentin (Research Fellow) worked on the public engagement programming and educational resources that accompanied the Ken Burns PBS documentary “The Gene: An Intimate History.” They have also been working closely with The Learning Center for the Deaf on lessons and curricula in American Sign Language, with Mohammed Hannan (Community Liaison) extending their engagement within communities. “It’s been amazing to see it grow,” says Bateman. “They’ve done so many things. They’ve done congressional briefings. How do these things happen? They happen because it’s Ting.”
The George W. Beadle Award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers. Wu will accept the award at the 62nd Annual Drosophila Research Conference (#Dros21) and will present an Award Seminar online on April 29th from 1-2 pm EDT.
Interested in learning about public engagement from pgEd? GSA has partnered with pgEd for a program on inclusive public engagement for geneticists. Sign up now for the “Discussing Genetics” webinar series and join us for additional training workshops coming soon.
Caroline Seydel is an independent science writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She has a MS in genetics from Stanford University. Her writing has appeared in Nature Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering News, and Forbes.com.
View all posts by Caroline Seydel »Read more in
-
Thank you, GSA community!
Thank you for being a member of the Genetics Society of America! As GSA’s current president, I am writing to tell you about Society projects and initiatives that we hope you will find useful in advancing your science and your career. Scientific research is a collaborative and exciting endeavor. Scientific societies like GSA exist to…
-
Where are they now? Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award recipients share updates on their research
Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award applications are open–make sure you submit your application or nomination of a colleague by September 30, 2024.
-
University of Minnesota researchers map genome of the last living wild horse species
The study, published in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, is part of larger conservation efforts to save Przewalski’s horse.
-
Congratulations to the Spring 2024 DeLill Nasser Awardees!
GSA is pleased to announce the recipients of the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics for Spring 2024! Given twice a year to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, DeLill Nasser Awards support attendance at meetings and laboratory courses. The award is named in honor of DeLill Nasser, a long-time GSA supporter and National Science Foundation…
-
Carolyn Damilola: an NFS Rising Scientist on a lifelong quest to learn more
Carolyn Damilola is an NFS Rising Scientist from Nigeria doing respiratory system research and paving the way for scientists from underrepresented communities through mentorship.
-
What does a good microgrant proposal look like?
Members of the Microgrant Review Committee share their tips for a successful proposal.
-
The first piece of the facial recognition puzzle
New research in GENETICS gives a first peek at the molecular pathway involved in recognizing faces.
-
New Senior Editor Amy MacQueen joins GENETICS
A new senior editor is joining GENETICS in the Genome Integrity and Transmission section. We’re excited to welcome Amy MacQueen to the editorial team.
-
Block party on the zebrafish sex chromosome
Research in G3 identifies a gene regulatory block of the zebrafish genome responsible for overseeing the maternal-to-zygotic-transition.
-
Unraveling the mysteries of duckweed: epigenetic insights from Spirodela polyrhiza
Research published in G3 offers insight into the impact of DNA methylation on clonal propagation in asexually reproducing plants.
-
A microbiologist’s quest to understand CRISPR in bacterial self-defense
2024 Genetics Society of America Medal recipient Luciano Marraffini determined how CRISPR-Cas systems destroy genetic targets with precision, paving the way for gene editing technology development.
-
Unlocking mysteries of trait and disease heritability in dogs
2024 Edward Novitski Prize recipient Elaine Ostrander, a pioneer of the domestic dog model, discovered numerous genes affecting dog size, morphology, behavior, and disease susceptibility—many of which have relevance in humans.
-
GSA and collaborators Personal Genetics Education & Dialogue and Reclaiming STEM Institute launch NSF-funded BIO-LEAPS project to support culture change in genetics
We are thrilled to announce that the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is collaborating with the Personal Genetics Education & Dialogue (PGED) based in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, and the Reclaiming STEM Institute (RSI) on a Leading Culture Change Through Professional Societies of Biology (BIO-LEAPS) grant from the U.S. National Science…
-
Daman Saluja: Navigating Science and Policy in India
In the Paths to Science Policy series, we talk to individuals who have a passion for science policy and are active in advocacy through their various roles and careers. The series aims to inform and guide early career scientists interested in science policy. This series is brought to you by the GSA Early Career Scientist…
-
A fly geneticist’s journey into discovering rules of organ development
2024 George W. Beadle Award recipient Deborah Andrew discovered new genes and pathways in Drosophila salivary gland organogenesis. Now, her work can help optimize cell secretion in therapeutic applications and fight malaria.
-
Małgorzata Gazda: How receiving the DeLill Nasser Award helped her land her dream job
Have you ever experienced an event that changes the course of your life, or in this case, your career? Małgorzata (Gosia) Gazda is Assistant Professor at the University of Montreal and in 2022, she received the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics, which she used to attend and present at the 2022 Population,…
-
Hongyu Zhao joins GENETICS as new Senior Editor
A new senior editor is joining GENETICS in the Statistical Genetics and Genomics section. We’re excited to welcome Hongyu Zhao to the editorial team.
-
GSA Member Julio Molina Pineda Receives DeLill Nasser Award, Shines at TAGC 2024
“At any career stage, the GSA membership is an amazing investment for any genetics professional!” Julio Molina Pineda is a PhD Candidate in Cell and Molecular Biology and a Research Assistant at the University of Arkansas, and a Doctoral Academy Fellow at the Lewis Lab. In 2023, Julio was awarded the DeLill Nasser Award for…
-
In Memoriam: Ellsworth Herman Grell (1932–2023), a pioneer of Drosophila genome engineering and annotation
Ellsworth (Ed) Grell blessed the Drosophila community through three enduring legacies: as a pioneer of chromosome mechanics, as a primary organizer and synthesizer of genetic knowledge in Drosophila, and as a graceful mentor to those fortunate to have known him personally. Ed grew up in rural Nebraska, completed his undergraduate studies at Iowa State, and…
-
Congratulations to the #Fungal24 Poster Award winners!
We are pleased to announce the recipients of the GSA Poster Awards for posters presented at the 32nd Fungal Genetics Conference! Undergraduate and graduate student members of GSA were eligible for the awards, and a hard-working team of judges made the determinations. Congratulations to all! Felicia Ebot Ojong, The University of Georgia My research is focused…
-
Poster presentation tips for TAGC 2024
You’ve been selected to present a poster at The Allied Genetics Conference 2024 in March—you’ve celebrated, made plans to attend, now what? This is an exciting opportunity to showcase your research and engage with fellow members of the genetics community, so you want to make sure you’re prepared. We wanted to offer you some tips…
-
Maximize your TAGC 2024 experience
A guide to all that National Harbor & DC have to offer Are you joining us for The Allied Genetics Conference 2024 in March? Make the most of your #TAGC24 experience in National Harbor! We know the science will keep you busy, but you deserve to unwind and have some fun, so we’ve curated a…
-
Early Career Leadership Spotlight: Sarah Petrosky
We’re taking time to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us to learn more about our early career scientist advocates. Sarah PetroskyMultimedia SubcommitteeUniversity of Pittsburgh Research Interest I am interested in understanding adaptation that has been happening recently in populations by dissecting the ways that genes underlying an adaptation…
-
TAGC 2024 Early Career Award Winners
GSA is pleased to announce the winners of the early career awards presented at The Allied Genetics Conference 2024. These awards are specific to particular TAGC communities and recognize early career scientists’ outstanding work on their respective research organisms. The awardees will present their talks in keynote sessions at TAGC 2024. Don’t miss the opportunity…
-
Preeminent geneticists recognized with revamped GSA Awards
In 2022, GSA’s Board of Directors launched an audit to review the five major awards conferred by the Society. Today, we are thrilled to announce the recipients of the reimagined GSA Awards, including the new Genetics Society of America Early Career Medal. The scientists honored this year are recognized by their peers for their outstanding…
-
Fly Board funds outreach programs to spread the word about Drosophila research
In 2020, the Fly Board voted to use part of its reserve fund to support efforts to increase trainee participation as well as equity and diversity in the Drosophila community. An awards committee decides how the money will be spent each year, and from 2020–2022, the committee posted a very broad call for applications from…
-
New members of the GSA Board of Directors: 2024–2026
We are pleased to announce the election of four new leaders to the GSA Board of Directors: 2024 Vice President/2025 President Brenda Andrews Professor, University of Toronto It’s an honor to continue my association with the Society by serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors. I have broad knowledge of the ongoing activities…
-
New members of the GSA Board of Directors: 2025–2027
We are pleased to announce the election of six new leaders to the GSA Board of Directors: 2025 Vice President/2026 President Cassandra Extavour Timken Professor of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology and of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Harvard University, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator “Read this,” he said, “it will change your life.” My undergraduate…
-
Congratulations, Spring 2025 Victoria Finnerty Travel Award recipients!
The Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Travel Award supports conference-attendance costs for undergraduate GSA members who are presenting research at the Annual Drosophila Research Conference. #Dros25 will be held in San Diego, CA from March 19–23, 2025. Victoria Finnerty, who died in February 2011, was a long-time member of the Genetics Society of America and served the Drosophila community and the genetics community at large in…
-
Meet embGAN, a revolution for cell lineage studies
New research in GENETICS reports an automated pipeline for cell lineage tracing that massively reduces manual analysis time.