Yana G. Kamberov, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Genetics
Skin biology and disease research center - Core member, University of Pennsylvania
Member- Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism and Diabetes Research Center, University of Pennsylvania
Trainer - Dermatology T32 training grant, University of Pennsylvania
Department: Genetics
Graduate Group Affiliations
Contact information
538A Clinical Research Building
415 Curie Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6145
415 Curie Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6145
Education:
B.A. (Molecular Biology and Biological Anthropology)
University of Pennsylvania, 2000.
Ph.D. (Cell and Developmental Biology)
Harvard University, 2008.
Permanent linkB.A. (Molecular Biology and Biological Anthropology)
University of Pennsylvania, 2000.
Ph.D. (Cell and Developmental Biology)
Harvard University, 2008.
Description of Research Expertise
Research Interests: Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms controlling the development and evolution of skin appendage traits.Keywords: sweat gland, hair follicle, mammary gland, evolution, enhancer biology, mouse genetics
Research Details: The primary research foucs of the Kamberov lab is to define the developmental pathways and regulatory elements that control the specification and patterning of sweat glands, hair follicles and mammary glands and to discover how these components have been modified during evolution to generate diversity in skin traits among modern humans as well as to give rise to some of the most singular phenotypes that define the human species, including the loss of fur and massively increased sweat gland density of humans. To this end, the lab leverages powerful genetic and genome editing tools for discovery and functional testing in the mouse coupled with in vitro study in mouse and human cell culture, as well as high-through put screening in virally-mediated transgenic mice and single nucleus transcriptomics.
Rotation projects:
Computational analysis of single transcriptomic data to define a differential transcriptional blue-print for fate specification in the skin.
Comparative analysis of skin appendage phenotypes of humanized mice expressing positively selected human genetic variants.
Lab Personnel:
PI: Yana Kamberov
Post-doctoral fellows: Daniel Aldea, Heather Dingwall
Research Associate: Blerina Kokalari
Selected Publications
Aldea D, Kokalari B, Luckhart C, Aharoni A, Albert PR, Kamberov YG#: The transcription factor Deaf1 modulates Engrailed-1 expression to regulate skin appendage fate. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Elsevier, 139(11): 2378-2381, 2019 Notes: #Corresponding author.Yana G.Kamberov#, Samantha M.Guhan, Alessandra DeMarchis, Judy Jiang, Sara Sherwood Wright, Bruce A.Morgan, Pardis C.Sabeti, Clifford J.Tabin, Daniel E.Lieberman#: Comparative evidence for the independent evolution of hair and sweat gland traits in primates. Journal of Human Evolution. Elsevier, 125: 99-105, December 2018 Notes: #corresponding author.
Kamberov, Y. G., Karlsson, E. K., Kamberova, G. L., Lieberman, D. E., Sabeti, P. C., Morgan, B. A., Tabin, C. J.: A genetic basis of variation in eccrine sweat gland and hair follicle density. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112(32): 9932-7, 2015.
Kamberov, Y. G., Wang, S., Tan, J., Gerbault, P., Wark, A., Tan, L., Yang, Y., Li, S., Tang, K., Chen, H., Powell, A., Itan, Y., Fuller, D., Lohmueller, J., Mao, J., Schachar, A., Paymer, M., Hostetter, E., Byrne, E., Burnett, M., McMahon, A. P., Thomas, M. G., Lieberman, D. E., Jin, L., Tabin, C. J., Morgan, B. A., Sabeti, P. C.: Modeling recent human evolution in mice by expression of a selected EDAR variant. Cell 152(4): 691-702, 2013.
Kamberov, Y. G., Kim, J., Mazitschek, R., Kuo, W. P., Whitman, M.: Microarray profiling reveals the integrated stress response is activated by halofuginone in mammary epithelial cells. BMC Res Notes 4: 381, 2011 Notes: doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-4-381.
Mizushima, T., Nakagawa, H., Kamberov, Y. G., Wilder, E. L., Klein, P. S., Rustgi, A. K.: Wnt-1 but not epidermal growth factor induces beta-catenin/T-cell factor-dependent transcription in esophageal cancer cells. Cancer Res 62(1): 277-82, 2002.
Cohen, E. D., Mariol, M. C., Wallace, R. M., Weyers, J., Kamberov, Y. G., Pradel, J., Wilder, E. L.: DWnt4 regulates cell movement and focal adhesion kinase during Drosophila ovarian morphogenesis. Dev Cell 2(4): 437-48, 2002.