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Faculty Detail    
Name MELISSA HARRIS
Ph.D.		  
Campus Address ESH 3121 Zip 1170
Phone  (205) 996-0438
E-mail  harrisml@uab.edu
Other websites Harris Lab Website
     


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary  Biology  Biology Associate Professor
Center  Integrative Center for Aging Research  Integrative Center for Aging Research Associate Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations
Cell, Molecular, & Developmental Biology 
Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics 

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
Association for Women in Science  Member   
PanAmerican Society for Pigment Cell Research  Member   
 



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Gene regulatory networks and transcriptional regulation of stem cell maintenance, stem cells and aging, melanocyte stem cells and hair graying, mouse models of hair graying
Description
The Harris Lab uses cell biology, genetic and bioinformatics approaches to investigate the gene regulatory networks that guide stem cell maintenance and tissue homeostasis over time. The lab uses the melanocyte stem cell as a model and evaluates mouse models of hair graying to better understand molecular mechanisms associated with stem cell decline.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Ruiz R, Jahid S, Harris M, Marzese DM, Espitia F, Vasudeva P, Chen CF, de Feraudy S, Wu J, Gillen DL, Krasieva TB, Tromberg BJ, Pavan WJ, Hoon DS, Ganesan AK. The RhoJ-BAD signaling network: An Achilles' heel for BRAF mutant melanomas. PLoS Genet. 2017 Jul 28;13(7):e1006913. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006913. eCollection 2017 Jul. PubMed PMID: 28753606; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5549996.    
Fufa TD, Harris ML, Watkins-Chow DE, Levy D, Gorkin DU, Gildea DE, Song L, Safi A, Crawford GE, Sviderskaya EV, Bennett DC, Mccallion AS, Loftus SK, Pavan WJ. Genomic analysis reveals distinct mechanisms and functional classes of SOX10-regulated genes in melanocytes. Hum Mol Genet. 2015 Oct 1;24(19):5433-50. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddv267. Epub 2015 Jul 23. PubMed PMID: 26206884; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4572067.    
Harris ML, Levy DJ, Watkins-Chow DE, Pavan WJ. Ectopic differentiation of melanocyte stem cells is influenced by genetic background. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2015 Mar;28(2):223-8. doi: 10.1111/pcmr.12344. Epub 2015 Jan 5. PubMed PMID: 25495036; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4333083.    
Harris ML, Pavan WJ. Postnatal lineage mapping of follicular melanocytes with the Tyr::CreER(T) (2) transgene. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2013 Mar;26(2):269-74. doi: 10.1111/pcmr.12048. Epub 2012 Dec 20. PubMed PMID: 23176440; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4034131.    
Harris ML, Buac K, Shakhova O, Hakami RM, Wegner M, Sommer L, Pavan WJ. A dual role for SOX10 in the maintenance of the postnatal melanocyte lineage and the differentiation of melanocyte stem cell progenitors. PLoS Genet. 2013;9(7):e1003644. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003644. Epub 2013 Jul 25. PubMed PMID: 23935512; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3723529.    
Harris ML, Hall R, Erickson CA. Directing pathfinding along the dorsolateral path - the role of EDNRB2 and EphB2 in overcoming inhibition. Development. 2008 Dec;135(24):4113-22. doi: 10.1242/dev.023119. Epub 2008 Nov 12. PubMed PMID: 19004859.    
For the full biography:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/melissa.harris.1/bibliography/48205017/public/?sort=date&direction= ascending 		  
 

Keywords
stem cells, aging, gene networks, transcriptional regulation, bioinformatics, melanocytes, gray hair