Theresa Alenghat
Postdoc at Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
VMD: 2003
PhD: 2007
Graduate Group: Cell and Molecular Biology
Thesis Topic: Molecular and physiologic significance of the nuclear receptor corepressor-HDAC3 complex
Dr. Alenghat's graduate work focused on nuclear receptors which are critical transcription factors in regulating development, differentiation, and metabolism. Her research uncovered a novel role for chromatic remodeling in the repression of gene transcription by thyroid hormone receptor and linked this mechanism to the enzymatic activity of the nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR) complex. In order to determine the in vivo importance of this complex, she created a mouse line that expresses a mutant NCoR protein that cannot activate histone deacetylase 3. Her work, which was recently published in Nature, uncovered a critical role for the NCoR complex in linking circadian and metabolic physiology.