Introduction
Teaching Interests
Research Interests
Educational Background
Schedule
|
|
School of Natural & Social Sciences
Sandra Sharp
Professor
Office: 363 Biological Sciences
Phone: 323.343.2072
FAX: 323.343.6451
Email: ssharp@calstatela.edu
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Sharp obtained her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the
University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, and her
postdoctoral training in Molecular Biology in the Division of Chemistry
at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. In addition to her
teaching and research endeavors at Cal State, LA, Dr. Sharp works with
faculty from CSU campuses statewide to enhance CSU biotechnology
teaching and research programs. She is a
member of the Strategic Planning Council for the California State
University
Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB).
TEACHING INTERESTS
Dr. Sharp currently teaches Principles of Gene Manipulation,
Molecular Diagnostics, and a graduate level lab in Genetic Engineering.
This Spring, she and Dr. Jamil Momand will be offering a new lower
division free elective entitled "Computer Approaches to the Molecular
Life Sciences." She coordinates programs for graduate and
post-baccalaureate students in the Biotechnology Certificate Program,
works with other faculty to develop offerings and opportunities in
bioinformatics, and is active with the Pasadena Bioscience
Collaborative. In addition, she provides research training to
undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Biological
Sciences.
Principles
of Gene Manipulation
Molecular
Diagnostics
From
Concept to Market
Summer
2002 MORE Programs Cell Culture Workshop Lecture
Biotechnology
Certificate Program
(for both matriculated and extended education
post-baccalaureate students)
Southern
California Bioinformatics Summer Institute
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Dr. Sharp's research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that
regulate muscle-specific gene expression during the process of muscle
development or myogenesis. She is also involved in a Cancer
Collaborative with the City of Hope.
The role of Id in breast
cancer progression
The project in which she
is involved, Molecular
Mechanisms of Breast Cancer Progression, investigates the role of
the inhibitor of differentiation genes ("Id"s), important in muscle
development, and over-expressed in some cancers. Students Anna
Munoz and Joyce Ho are working on this project.
A role for p53/MyoD redundancy during myogenesis?
This project, funded by the National Institute for Athritis and
Musculo-Skeletal Disease, is based in part upon
our work published
in In Vitro (the third reference in the list below). MyoD is a
protein
expressed exclusively in premuscle cells. Its expression and
activation
help to move pre-muscle cells down the pathway to becoming muscle.
p53
is a tumor suppressor protein which can be expressed in all cells in
response
to various stresses. Recent work from other labs and ours,
however,
raise the possibility that it can be involved in normal differentiative
processes
such as myogenesis. Students Kevin Chau, Mesfin Gewe, Liz Im,
Mark Lopez, Laura Martinez, Joanne Nguyen, and Jesse Ortiz are working
on this project.
Regulation of expression of the skeletal muscle actin gene
by MyoD and MEF2
We are investigating the way in which members of the MyoD and MEF2
families of transcriptional activators work to facilitate expression of
muscle specific genes. We use transient transfection into mouse
cells of plasmid expression and luciferase reporter constructs.
We are collecting data to determine whether MyoD and MEF2A act
synergistically to turn on expression of the skeletal muscle actin
gene. It has been shown that MEF2 and MyoD act synergistically on
promoters in which the binding sites for these two transcription
factors are close to each other on the DNA. In the skeletal
muscle actin promoter, however, the binding sites are over 200 bp from
each other. Current student Christina Chiu is putting what we
expect to be final touches this project.
Regulation of expression of the Id2 gene during myogenesis
In another project, we have been investigating which regions of the
promoter for mouse Inhibitor of differentiation/DNA binding 2 (Idb2)
are important for its expression in pre-muscle cells. Again, we
use transient transfection of plasmid expression and reporter
constructs with a luciferase reporter system. A series of
promoter deletions and mutations has
identified a specific region of the promoter not previously described
to
be important in this system. Our results suggest that the
reporter
construct with which we are working includes sequence that supports
expression
in undifferentiated cells and upregulation during the early phase of
down-regulation,
but does not support the down-regulation observed later in
differentiation.
Student Gilson Sanchez is working on this project.
Genomic identification of myogenic regulatory networks
We are collaborating with the laboratory of Barbara Wold at Caltech to
identify myogenic regulatory features by means of chromatin
immunoprecipitation followed by direct sequencing. Student
Gordon Kwan is working on this project.
Representative Professional Activities
|
Date
|
Publications
|
2007
|
Krilowicz, B.,
W. Johnston,
S.B. Sharp, N. Warter-Perez, J. Momand.
A summer program designed
to educate college students for careers in bioinformatics. CBE–Life Sciences Education 6:74-83.
|
| 2002 |
Sharp, S.B., M. Villalvazo, A. Espinosa, S. Damle, X.
Padilla, J. Hartono, R. Gonzalez, S. Vu. BC3H1 myogenic cells
produce an infectious ecotropic murine leukemia virus. In Vitro
Cell. Dev. Biol.--Animal
38:378-381.
This article was chosen for highlighting by the Society for In Vitro
Biology. |
| 2002 |
Sharp, S.B., M. Villalvazo, M. Huang, R. Gonzalez,
R. Alarcon, M. Bahamonde, D. D'Agostin, S. Damle, A. Espinosa, S. Han,
J. Liu, P.
Navarro, H. Salguero, J. Son, S. Vu. Further characterization of
BC3H1 myogenic cells reveals lack of p53 activity and underexpression
of several p53 regulated and extracellular matrix associated gene
products.
In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol.--Animal 38:382-393. |
| 1999 |
Green, N., S. Vu, S. Farahmand, and S.B. Sharp.
(1999) Limited T4 Exonuclease Activity and Partial Fill-in Expand
Insertion Site Options for PCR Subcloning. Biotechniques 27:914-916. |
| 1999 |
McQueen, N.L, and S.B. Sharp (1999) Molecular
Diagnostics -- an upper division/graduate course. Biochemical Education
27:145-149. |
| 1995 |
Sharp, S.B., S. Kim, M. Lee, L. Sunday, E. Enriquez,
M. Villalvazo, A. Ghebremedhin, L.S. Carvajal, P. Momjian, and S.
Avari. (1995) Culture of C2C12 and BC3H1 myogenic cells with
iron-supplemented calf serum; rapid media screen. In Vitro Cell. Dev.
Biol.--Animal 31:749-751. |
| 1992 |
Sharp, S.B., A. Vazquez, M. Theimer, D.K. Silva,
S.R. Muscati, M. Sylber, and M. Mogassa (1992). The levels of vascular
smooth as well as skeletal muscle actin mRNAs differ substantially
among both myoblast
and fibroblast lines with different skeletal myogenic potentials.
Cellular
and Molecular Biology 38: 485-504. |
| 1989 |
Sharp, S.B., T.A. Kost, S.H. Hughes, and N. Davidson
(1989). Regulation of chicken a and b actin genes and their hybrids
inserted into myogenic mouse cells. GENE 80: 293-304. |
|
Recent Awards
|
2006
|
Distinguished Women Award,
Cal State LA
|
2005
|
Anthony Andreoli Faculty Service Award
from Statewide CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology
(CSUPERB)
|
EDUCATIONAL
BACKGROUND
Post-doctoral training
Division of Chemistry, Caltech, Pasadena, CA
Ph.D. Biological Chemistry 1981
 UCLA, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
B.A. Zoology 1967
University of California, Berkeley, CA
Fall 2007 Schedule
| Course |
Sect. No. |
Title |
Units |
Day & Time |
Room |
BIOL417
|
|
Principles of Gene Manipulation
|
|
|
|
OFFICE HOURS
| Day |
Time |
| M |
11:30 - 1:30
5:00 - 6:30
|
|
