Ben Deneen, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Center for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, Department of Neuroscience

Dr. Deneen received the award for his most recent work on developmental gliogenesis and how this process applies to glial-based diseases of the central nervous system. This translational approach has focused on the NFI (nuclear family 1) transcription factors and he recently found that NFIA is regulated by the transcription factor SOX9, which mediates the genesis of glial cells. He went on to identify this unique set of genes that regulate key aspects of the molecular processes that control glial generation. From there he determined the roles of NFIA expression and the proliferation of glial precursors, both during development and tumor initiation. A new mouse model enabled him to better understand the role of NFIA in the generation of glioma subtypes and thus to argue for the convergence of development and cancer.

Dr. Deneen’s nomination was based on the following publications:

Glasgow SM, Zhu W, Stolt CC, Huang TW, Chen F, LoTurco JJ, Neul JL, Wegner M, Mohila C, Deneen B. Mutual antagonism between Sox10 and NFIA regulates diversification of glial lineages and glioma subtypes. Nat Neurosci. 2014 Oct;17(10):1322-9. doi: 10.1038/nn.3790. Epub 2014 Aug 24. PubMed PMID: 25151262; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4313923.

AKang, P., Lee, H. K., Glasgow, S. M., Finley, M., Donti, T., Gaber, Z. B., … Deneen, B. (2012). Sox9 and NFIA Coordinate a Transcriptional Regulatory Cascade during the Initiation of Gliogenesis. Neuron. 74(1), 79–94. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2012.01.024

Glasgow SM, Laug D, Brawley VS, Zhang Z, Corder A, Yin Z, Wong ST, Li XN, Foster AE, Ahmed N, Deneen B. The miR-223/nuclear factor I-A axis regulates glial precursor proliferation and tumorigenesis in the CNS J Neurosci. 2013 Aug 14;33(33):13560-8. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0321-13.2013. PubMed PMID: 23946414; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3742938.