Hyde Lab: Christopher T. Burket

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

1993	Manchester College North Manchester, IN	B.S. Biology-Chemistry
	Graduated with distinction.
1996	Ball State University Muncie, IN	M.S. Biology
	Thesis Title: The Occurrence and Distribution of Ehrlichia Chaffeensis in Southern Indiana.
	under Robert R. Pinger
2003	Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA	Ph.D. Biomedical Sciences
	Thesis Title: Two genes: dig-1 and mig-10, involved in sensory map formation in C. elegans
	under Elizabeth F. Ryder
Present	University of Notre Dame, Center for Zebrafish Research	Postdoctoral Research Fellow
	Project: To develop methods to generate transgenic zebrafish to follow cell fates during retinal regeneration.
	under David R. Hyde

Research Interests

I am currently studying the mechanism of the transgene silencing and re-expression in zebrafish. I recently found that this silencing and re-expression likely involves the methylation of CpG sequences in the transgenes. I plan to further analyze the methylation of these and additional transgenes that I generated in zebrafish. I am interested in this problem so that expression constructs can be designed that will have more consistent expression patterns. By comparing a variety of different transgenes, I hope to learn whether the promoter, transgene, or Tol2 is directing the methylation. I also plan to begin testing approaches to reduce transgene silencing. Initially I will incorporate the fly insulator elements into the Tol2 element and test their ability to prevent or reduce methylation of transgenes. In addition, I cloned several new zebrafish promoters that appear to be ubiquitous. I will try to determine why these promoters drive ubiquitous expression while the initial promoters failed.

1. C.T. Burket, C.N. Vann, R.R. Pinger, C.L. Chatot, and F.E. Steiner. 1998. Minimum infection rate of Amblyomma Americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) by Ehrlichia Chaffeensis (Rickettsiales: Ehrlichiae) in Southern Indiana. Journal of Medical Entomolgy 35(5): 653-659.

2. R. Thummel, C. T. Burket, J. Brewer, M. Sarras Jr. L. Li, M. Perry, J. McDermott, B. Sauer, D.R. Hyde, and A. Godwin. 2005. Cre-mediated site-specific recombination in zebrafish embryos. Developmental Dynamics. 233:1366-1377.

3. C.T. Burket, C. Higgins, L.C. Hull, P. Berninsone, and E.F. Ryder. 2006. The C. elegans gene dig-1 encodes a giant member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that promotes fasciculation of neuronal processes. Developmental Biology. 299: 193-205.

4. S.C. Kassen, V. Ramanan, J. Montgomery, C.T. Burket, C. Liu, T.S. Vihtelic, and D.R. Hyde. Time course analysis of gene expression during light-induced photoreceptor death and regeneration in albino zebrafish. Journal of Neurobiology, in press.

5. R. Thummel, C.T. Burket, and D.R. Hyde. Two different transgenes to study gene silencing and re-expression during zebrafish caudal fin and retinal regeneration. TSW Development and Embryology, resubmitted.

6. C.T. Burket, R. Thummel, J. Montgomery, M. Lafave, D. Langaneau, L. Zon, and D.R. Hyde. Generation and characterization of transgenic zebrafish lines using different ubiquitous promoters. in preparation.