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Research Areas

Epigenetic regulation, Alzheimer’s disease, neural stem cells, Aging, Drosophila.

Research Interests

We are interested in understanding epigenetic regulation of the aging process and how these mechanisms may contribute to the transition between healthy and pathological states of the neurons during AD progression. We use Drosophila and mammalian stem cells as model systems of study and focus on key epigenetic mechanisms like histone modifications, DNA methylation and genome architecture.

Selected Publications

1. Adusumalli S, Ngian ZK, Lin WQ, Benoukraf T, Ong CT (2019). Increased intron retention is a post-transcriptional signature associated with progressive aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Aging Cell. e12928.

2. Zhang R, Hong JJ, Yang Q, Ong CT, Li BA, Liou YC (2018) .Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of OVOL2 regulates aneuploidy and cell death in cancer cells. Oncogene.

3. Ong CT, Lin WQ (2018). CDK5-mediated phosphorylation of CP190 may regulate locomotor activity in adult female Drosophila. J Genet Genomics. 45(3):177-181.

4. Li L, Lyu X, Hou C, Takenaka N, Nguyen HQ, Ong CT, Hu M, Lei EP, Bosco G, Qin ZS, Corces VG (2015). Widespread rearrangement of 3D chromatin organization underlies Polycomb-mediated stress-induced silencing. Molecular Cell. 58(2):216-31.

5. Van Bortle K, Nichols MH, Li L, Ong CT, Takenaka N, Qin ZS, Corces VG (2014). Insulator function and topological domain border strength scale with architectural protein occupancy. Genome Biology. 15(6):R82.

6. Ong CT, Corces VG (2014). CTCF: An Architectural Protein Bridging Genome Topology and Function. Nature Review Genetics. 15(4):234-46.

7. Ong CT, Van Bortle K, Ramos E, Corces VG (2013). Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation regulates insulator function and intra-chromosomal interactions in Drosophila. Cell. 155(1):148-159.

8. Phillips-Cremins JE, Sauria ME, Sanyal A, Gerasimova TI, Lajoie BR, Bell JS, Ong CT, Hookway TA, Guo C, Sun Y, Bland MJ, Wagstaff W, Dalton S, McDevitt TC, Sen R, Dekker J, Taylor J, Corces VG (2013). Architectural Protein Subclasses Shape 3D Organization of Genomes during Lineage Commitment. Cell. 153(6):1281-95.

9. Ong CT, Corces VG (2012). Enhancers: emerging roles in cell fate specification. EMBO Report. 10;13(5):423-30.

10. Ong CT, Corces VG (2011). Enhancer function: new insights into the regulation of tissue-specific gene expression. Nature Review Genetics. 12(4):283-93.

11. Ong CT, Corces VG (2009). Insulators as mediators of intra- and inter-chromosomal interactions: a common evolutionary theme. J Biol. 8(8):73.

12. Ong CT, Corces VG (2008). Modulation of CTCF insulator function by transcription of a noncoding RNA. Dev Cell. 15(4):489-90.

13. Ong CT, Sedy JR, Murphy KM, Kopan R (2008). Notch and presenilin regulate cellular expansion and cytokine secretion but cannot instruct Th1/Th2 fate acquisition. PLoS ONE 3(7):e2823.

14. Bai S, Kopan R, Zou W, Hilton MJ, Ong CT, Long F, Ross FP, Teitelbaum SL (2008). NOTCH1 regulates osteoclastogenesis directly in osteoclast precursors and indirectly via osteoblast lineage cells. J Biol Chem. 283(10):6509-18.

15. Vooijs M, Ong CT, Hadland B, Huppert S, Liu Z, Korving J, van den Born M, Stappenbeck T, Wu Y, Clevers H, Kopan R (2007). Mapping the consequence of Notch1 proteolysis in vivo with NIP-CRE. Development 134(3):535-44.

16. Ong CT, Cheng HT, Chang LW, Ohtsuka T, Kageyama R, Stormo GD, Kopan R (2006). Target selectivity of vertebrate Notch proteins. Collaboration between discrete domains and CSL-binding site architecture determines activation probability. J Biol. Chem. 281(8):5106-19.

17. Yu F, Ong CT, Chia W, Yang X (2002). Membrane targeting and asymmetric localization of Drosophila partner of inscuteable are discrete steps controlled by distinct regions of the protein. Mol. Cell Biol. 22(12):4230-40.

18. Zhang YL, Ong CT, Leung KY (2000). Molecular analysis of genetic differences between virulent and avirulent strains of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from diseased fish. Microbiology 146 (Pt 4):999-1009.