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509-335-8554, jwatts@mail.wsu.edu
Research
Assistant Professor, Institute of Biological Chemistry
Ph.D. 1996, Cornell University
Research Interests
Lipid metabolism is a highly
regulated process in plants and animals. The
goal of our research program is to gain insight into the mechanisms
through which the physical properties and regulatory actions of
specific lipids impact the cell biology and physiology of animals. We
use the nematode model Caenorhabditis elegans and a combination
of genetic, genomic and biochemical approaches to understand the
regulation and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. Genes from
nematodes are being used to produce transgenic plants with altered
fatty acid composition and improved vegetable oils.
Unsaturated fatty acids play vital roles as
structural components of membranes and as signaling molecules. We
have isolated C.
elegans mutants with altered capacity to synthesis unsaturated
fatty acids. These mutants provide new tools to understand
the roles unsaturated fatty acids in membrane biology and cell function. Our
work has led to an appreciation of how polyunsaturated fatty acids
affect nerve cell transmission. Recently we have discovered
that nematodes deficient in stearoyl-CoA desaturase have reduced
fat content, and we are currently using these mutants to examine
how fatty acid desaturase pathways interact with other metabolic
pathways that regulate fat storage. The identification of key
regulatory genes involved in lipid metabolism and adiposity suggests
that manipulation of these processes and control of human metabolic
disorders may be possible.
Selected
Publications
Trisha J. Brock, John Browse,
and Jennifer L. Watts. 2006. “Genetic
regulation of membrane composition and lipid homeostasis in C.
elegans.” PLOS Genetics 2(7):e108.
Yang
F, Vought BW, Satterlee JS, Walker AK, Jim Sun ZY, Watts JL, Debeaumont
R, Mako Saito R, Hyberts SG, Yang S, Macol C, Iyer L, Tijian R,
van den Heuvel S, Hart AC, Wagner G, Naar AM. 2006. “An
ARC/Mediator subunit required for SREBP control of Cholesterol
and lipid homeostasis. “ Nature 442:700-704.
Jennifer
L. Watts and John Browse. 2006. “Dietary
manipulation implicates lipid signaling in the regulation of
germ cell maintenance in C. elegans.”
Developmental Biology 292:381-92.
Amanda Kahn-Kirby, Jami
L.M. Dantzker, Alfonso
J. Apicella, William R. Schafer, John Browse, Cornelia I. Bargmann,
Jennifer L. Watts. 2004. “Specific polyunsaturated
fatty acids drive TRPV-dependent sensory signaling in vivo.” Cell 119:889-900.
Kaveh Ashrafi, Francesca
Y. Chang, Jennifer L. Watts, Andrew G. Fraser, Ravi S. Kamath,
Julie Ahringer, and Gary Ruvkun. 2003. "Genome-wide
RNAi analysis of C. elegans fat regulatory genes." Nature 421:268-272.
Jennifer L. Watts, Eric
Phillips, Katharine R. Griffing, and John Browse. 2003. "Deficiencies
in C20 polyunsaturated fatty acids cause behavioral and developmental
defects in C.
elegans fat-3 mutants." Genetics 163:581-589.
Jennifer L. Watts and John
Browse. 2002. "Genetic
dissection of polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis in Caenorhabditis
elegans" Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 99:5854-5859.
James
G. Wallis, Jennifer L. Watts, John Browse. 2002. "Polyunsaturated
fatty acid synthesis. What
will they think of next?" Trends Biochem Sci. 27:467-473.
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