Jane A. Skok, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pathology
Experimental Pathology, Immunology, Pathobiology / Nuclear organization of immunoglobulin genes
jane.skok@med.nyu.edu, (212) 263 0504
Fax: (212) 263 8211
550 First Avenue, MSB 531, New York, NY 10016
Research and Clinical Interests
Dr. Skok's research focuses on epigenetic regulation of V(D)J recombination. Her approach is to understand how nuclear organization of the antigen receptor genes affects their accessibility to the recombinase (RAG proteins). The aim is to understand how faithful DNA rearrangements are maintained in the context of the complex chromatin environment of developing B or T lymphocytes to prevent immune deficiency, autoimmunity and translocations involving Ig loci. Clinical interests include leukemia.
Selected Publications
Johnson K, Hashimshony T, Sawai CM, Pongubala JM, Skok JA, Aifantis I, Singh H. Regulation of Immunoglobulin Light-Chain Recombination by the Transcription Factor IRF-4 and the Attenuation of Interleukin-7 Signaling. Immunity. 2008 Mar;28(3):335-45. Epub 2008 Feb 14. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 18280186.
Hewitt SL, Farmer D, Marszalek K, Cadera E, Liang HE, Xu Y, Schlissel MS, Skok JA. Enhancer-mediated association between the Igk and Igh loci induces 'decontraction' of the Igh locus. Nat Immunol. 2008 Mar;Epub 2008 Feb 24. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 18297074. doi: 10.1038/ni1567.
Fitzsimmons S, Bernstein R, Jane Skok J, Ed Max E, Marjorie Shapiro M. Dynamic changes in accessibility, nuclear positioning, recombination, and transcription at the Ig kappa locus. J Immunol. 2007 Oct 15;179:5264-73. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17911612.
Liu H, Schmidt-Supprian M, Shi Y, Hobeika E, Barteneva N, Jumaa H, Pelanda R, Reth M, Skok J, Rajewsky K, et al. Yin Yang 1 is a critical regulator of B-cell development. Genes Dev. 2007;21:1179–89. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17504937.
Fuxa M, Skok JA. Transcriptional regulation in early B cell development. Curr Opin Immunol. 2007;19:129–136. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17292598.
Skok JA, Gisler R, Novatchkova M, Farmer D, de Laat W, Busslinger M. Reversible contraction by looping of the Tcra and Tcrb loci in rearranging thymocytes. Nat Immunol. 2007;8:378–87. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17334367.
Roldan E, Fuxa M, Chong W, Martinez D, Novatchkova M, Busslinger M, Skok JA. Locus 'decontraction' and centromeric recruitment contribute to allelic exclusion of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene. Nat Immunol. 2005;6:31–41. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 15580273.
Goldmit M*, Ji Y*, Skok J*, Roldan E, Jung S, Cedar H, Bergman Y. Epigenetic ontogeny of the Igk locus during B cell development. Nat Immunol. 2005;6:198–203. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 15619624.
Parker MJ, Licence S, Erlandsson L, Galler GR, Chakalova L, Osborne CS, Morgan G, Fraser P, Jumaa H, Winkler TH, Skok J, Mårtensson lL. The pre-B-cell receptor induces silencing of VpreB and lambda5 transcription. Embo J. 2005;24:3895–905. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 16281060.
Fuxa M*, Skok J*, Souabni A, Salvagiotto G, Roldan E, Busslinger M. Pax5 induces V-to-DJ rearrangements and locus contraction of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene. Genes Dev. 2004;18:411–22. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 15004008.
Kosak ST, Skok JA, Medina KL, Riblet R, Le Beau MM, Fisher AG, Singh H. Subnuclear compartmentalization of immunoglobulin loci during lymphocyte development. Science. 2002;296:158–62. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11935030.
Skok JA, Brown KE, Azuara V, Caparros ML, Baxter J, Takacs K, Dillon N, Gray D, Perry RP, Merkenschlager M, et al. Nonequivalent nuclear location of immunoglobulin alleles in B lymphocytes. Nat Immunol. 2001;2:848–54. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11526401.
Siepmann K, Skok J, van Essen D, Harnett M, Gray D. Rewiring of CD40 is necessary for delivery of rescue signals to B cells in germinal centres and subsequent entry into the memory pool. Immunology. 2001;102:263–72. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11298824.
Skok J, Poudrier J, Gray D. Dendritic cell-derived IL-12 promotes B cell induction of Th2 differentiation: a feedback regulation of Th1 development. J Immunol. 1999;163:4284–91. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 10510367.
Skok J, Solomon E, Reid KB, Thompson RA. Distinct genes for fibroblast and serum C1q. Nature. 1981;292:549–51.
Organizational Associations
Associate member of the European Union Epigenome Network of Excellence
