Faculty
John F. Marko, PhD
Professor
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Cell Biology; Physics & Astronomy
PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Email: john-marko@northwestern.edu
Phone: (847)
467-1276
Fax: (847)
467-1380
Room: Pancoe Rm 4109
Research Interests
Protein-DNA interactions, and chromosome structure and dynamics.
A good deal of the lab's work uses biophysical methods, with particular emphasis on micromanipulation of single DNA molecules and single chromosomes. Recent projects in the lab have included studies of the internal structure of eukaryote mitotic chromosomes, single-DNA studies of DNA-folding proteins from bacteria, studies of DNA topoisomerases, and studies of the dynamics of self-organization of chromatin using Xenopus egg extracts. The lab also carries out theoretical modeling work related to these experimental studies. Future directions for the lab include combining fluorescence microscopy and force microscopy in experiments on DNA-protein complexes and whole chromosomes, and in-vivo studies of coupling of chromosome dynamics to gene expression.
Selected Publications
Barrier-to-autointegration factor (BAF) condenses DNA by looping. Skoko D, Li M, Huang Y, Mizuuchi M, Cai M, Bradley CM, Pease PJ, Xiao B, Marko JF, Craigie R, Mizuuchi K. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Sep 29;106(39):16610-5. Epub 2009 Sep 21.
Micromechanical studies of mitotic chromosomes. Marko JF. Chromosome Res. 2008;16(3):469-97. Review.
Torque and dynamics of linking number relaxation in stretched supercoiled DNA. Marko JF. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2007 Aug;76(2 Pt 1):021926. Epub 2007 Aug 29.
Topoisomerase V relaxes supercoiled DNA by a constrained swiveling mechanism. Taneja B, Schnurr B, Slesarev A, Marko JF, Mondragón A. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Sep 11;104(37):14670-5. Epub 2007 Sep 5.
Micromanipulation studies of chromatin fibers in Xenopus egg extracts
reveal ATP-dependent chromatin assembly dynamics.
J. Yan, T.J. Maresca, D. Skoko, C.D. Adams, B. Xiao, M.O. Christensen,
R.
Heald, J.F. Marko. Mol. Biol. Cell, in press (2006).
View all publications by John F. Marko listed in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed). Past and current IBiS students in blue