[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.15″ background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” custom_padding=”16px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/academics\/bio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/117\/2022\/03\/Weinstein1.jpg” alt=”Dr. Daniel Weinstein” title_text=”Dr. Daniel Weinstein” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][dsm_text_divider header=”Dr. Daniel Weinstein” text_alignment=”left” color=”#E71939″ divider_position=”flex-end” divider_weight=”5px” _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Open Sans|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”30px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dsm_text_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.15.1″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” text_orientation_tablet=”center” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Professor and Dean of Faculty, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Ph.D., The Rockefeller University
Office: NSB E -124 Tel: 718-997-4552
Laboratory: NSB E-121; 718-997-4258
E-mail: daniel.weinstein@qc.cuny.edu<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.15.1″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” text_orientation_tablet=”left” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
My laboratory\u2019s effort focuses on elucidating the signaling mechanisms underlying germ layer formation and patterning in the vertebrate embryo.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/academics\/bio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/117\/2022\/03\/tadpole1.jpg” alt=”Tadpole” title_text=”Tadpole” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.15.1″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” text_orientation_tablet=”left” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Regulation of pluripotency in the early vertebrate embryo<\/strong><\/p>\n Developmental biology is fundamentally concerned with the processes by which the single cell of the fertilized egg gives rise during embryogenesis to the organized distribution of the hundreds of cell types in the adult organism.\u00a0 The specification and separation of the primary germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm) are early and essential steps in the development of the vertebrate embryo. A well-supported model has emerged that emphasizes the requirement for inductive interactions in the formation of both mesoderm and endoderm. It has been widely assumed that specification of the vertebrate ectoderm occurs essentially by default in the absence of both mesoderm and endoderm induction; our group and others have found, however, that the differentiation of the ectoderm requires the active suppression<\/em> of mesodermal and endodermal fate. \u00a0Recent studies from our lab demonstrate that transcriptional repression by the T-box DNA-binding protein Tbx2 limits the response of presumptive ectodermal cells to mesoderm- and endoderm-promoting cues in embryos of the frog Xenopus laevis<\/em>. Current projects aim to establish the gene regulatory and signaling mechanisms through which Tbx2 suppresses inappropriate germ layer formation, and thus restricts embryonic cell pluripotency, in vivo.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/academics\/bio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/117\/2022\/03\/Danlab-2crop-e1396992562606.jpg” alt=”Two people standing side-by-side. One person is holding a frog.” title_text=”Two people standing side-by-side.” show_in_lightbox=”on” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/academics\/bio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/117\/2022\/03\/WeinsteinFigure18-768×591-1.png” alt=”A model of Tbx2-mediated ectodermal specification.” title_text=”A model of Tbx2-mediated ectodermal specification.” show_in_lightbox=”on” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”50%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text quote_border_weight=”2px” quote_border_color=”#E71939″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” text_orientation_tablet=”left” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n A model of Tbx2-mediated ectodermal specification.<\/strong> Tbx2 binds to and represses target genes in animal pole progenitor cells, thereby inhibiting mesoderm and endoderm formation. In the marginal zone and vegetal pole, other T-box proteins bind to and activate an overlapping set of target genes, stimulating mesodermal and endodermal differentiation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/academics\/bio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/117\/2022\/03\/Danlab-1-e1396994162117.jpg” alt=”A group of three people.” title_text=”A group of three people.” show_in_lightbox=”on” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” border_width_all=”1px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.15.1″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” text_orientation_tablet=”left” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Patterning of the anterior ectoderm <\/strong><\/p>\n The cement gland, as its name implies, secretes a sticky mucus that allows amphibian larvae to adhere to hard surfaces before young tadpoles are able to swim freely in the aquatic environment. The cement gland is an ectodermal structure located at the anterior end of the Xenopus laevis<\/em> tadpole, at the border between dorsal (neural) and ventral (epidermal) fates; it has long been used as a model to study inter- and intracellular regulation during early embryonic patterning and differentiation. It has been shown that an intermediate level of Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signaling is essential for cement gland formation; several transcription factors have also been linked to the differentiation of this organ. Recent findings in our lab suggest that the homeodomain-containing transcription factor Pitx1 functions both to limit local BMP signaling within the cement gland primordium and to recruit the BMP signal transducer Smad1 to activate direct downstream targets; current work seeks to test and refine this model. In related studies, we are examining the role of Apolipoprotein CI, a lipid-binding protein implicated in atherosclerosis and Alzheimer\u2019s disease in humans, in the regulation of other anterior fates including the forebrain, sensory placodes, and cranial neural crest.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.15.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.15.1″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” hover_enabled=”0″ text_orientation_tablet=”left” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Selected Publications:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Research Articles<\/p>\n Reich, S., Kayastha, P., Teegala, S., and\u00a0Weinstein, D.C.<\/b>\u00a0 (2020). Tbx2 mediates dorsal patterning and germ layer suppression through inhibition of BMP\/GDF and Activin\/Nodal signaling. BMC Molecular and Cell Biology<\/i>\u00a021<\/strong>:39.\u00a0<\/i>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12860-020-00282-1<\/a>.<\/p>\n Teegala, S., Chauhan, R., Lei, E., and\u00a0Weinstein, D.C.\u00a0<\/strong>(2018).\u00a0Tbx2 is required for the suppression of mesendoderm during early\u00a0Xenopus\u00a0<\/em>development.\u00a0Dev Dyn\u00a0<\/em>247<\/strong>, 903-913.\u200b<\/p>\n Jin, Y. and\u00a0Weinstein, D.C.\u00a0<\/strong>(2018).\u00a0\u00a0Pitx1 regulates cement gland development in\u00a0Xenopus laevis\u00a0<\/em>through activation of transcriptional targets and inhibition of BMP signaling.\u00a0Dev. Biol.,<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>437<\/strong>, 41-49.<\/p>\n Sridharan, J., Haremaki, T., and\u00a0Weinstein, D.C.\u00a0<\/strong>(2018).\u00a0\u00a0Cloning and spatiotemporal expression of\u00a0Xenopus laevis\u00a0<\/em>Apolipoprotein CI .\u00a0PLoS ONE\u00a0<\/em>13(1)<\/strong>: e0191470.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0191470<\/a><\/p>\n Grumolato, L., Liu, G., Haremaki, T., Mungamuri, S.K., Mong, P., Akiri, G., Lopez-Bergami, P., Arita, A., Anouar, Y., Mlodzik, M., Ronai, Z.A., Brody, J., Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong>, and Aaronson, S.A. (2013).\u03b2-cateinin-independent activation of TCF1\/LEF1 in human hematopoietic tumor cells through interaction with ATF2 transcription factors. PLoS Genet<\/em>, 9, 1-13.<\/p>\n Haremaki, T., and\u00a0Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong>\u00a0(2012). Eif4a3 is required for accurate splicing of the\u00a0Xenopus laevis<\/i>\u00a0ryanodine receptorpre-mRNA.\u00a0Dev. Biol<\/em>.\u00a0372, 103-110.<\/p>\n Kim, K., Lake, B.B., Haremaki, T,\u00a0Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong>, and Sokol, S.Y. (2012). Rab11 regulates planar polarity and migratory behavior of multiciliated cells in\u00a0Xenopus<\/i>\u00a0embryonic epidermis.\u00a0Dev. Dyn<\/em>.\u00a0241, 1385-1395.<\/p>\n Sridharan, J., Haremaki, T., Jin, Y., Teegala, S., and\u00a0Weinstein, D.C.\u00a0<\/strong>(2012). Xmab21l3 mediates dorsoventral patterning in\u00a0Xenopus laevis<\/i>.\u00a0Mech. Dev<\/em>.129, 136-146.<\/p>\n Haremaki, T., Sridharan, J., Dvora, S., and Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong> (2010).\u00a0 Regulation of vertebrate embryogenesis by the Exon Junction Complex core component Eif4a3.\u00a0\u00a0Dev. Dyn.<\/em>\u00a0239, 1977-1987.<\/p>\n Haremaki, T., and Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong> (2009).\u00a0 Xmc mediates Xctr1-independent morphogenesis in\u00a0Xenopus laevis<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0Dev. Dyn.<\/em>\u00a0238, 2382-2387.<\/p>\n Haremaki, T., Fraser, S.T., Kuo, Y-M., Baron, M.H., and Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong> (2007).\u00a0 Vertebrate Ctr1 coordinates morphogenesis and progenitor cell fate and regulates embryonic stem cell differentiation.\u00a0 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA<\/em>. 104, 12029-12034.<\/p>\n Suri, C., Haremaki, T., and Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong> (2005).\u00a0Xema, a foxi-class gene expressed in the gastrula stage Xenopus ectoderm, is required for the suppression of mesendoderm formation.\u00a0 Development<\/em> 132, 2733-2742.<\/p>\n Suri, C., Haremaki, T., and Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong> (2004).\u00a0 Inhibition of mesodermal fate by Xenopus<\/em> HNF3\u03b2\/FoxA2.\u00a0 Dev. Biol.<\/em> 265, 90-104.<\/p>\n Hama, J., Suri, C., Haremaki, T., and Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong> (2002).\u00a0 The molecular basis of Src kinase specificity during vertebrate mesoderm formation.\u00a0 J. Biol. Chem<\/em>. 277, 19806-19810.<\/p>\n Hama, J., Xu, H., Goldfarb, M., and Weinstein, D.C<\/strong>. (2001).\u00a0 SNT-1\/FRS2\u03b1 physically interacts with Laloo and mediates mesoderm induction by Fibroblast Growth Factor.\u00a0 Mech. Dev<\/em>. 10, 195-204.<\/p>\n Song, Y., Cohler, A.N., and Weinstein, D.C<\/strong>. (2001).\u00a0 Regulation of Laloo by the Xenopus C-terminal Src kinase (Xcsk) during early vertebrate development.\u00a0 Oncogene<\/em> 20, 5210-5214.<\/p>\n Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong>, Marden, J., Carnevali, F., and Hemmati-Brivanlou, A. (1998).\u00a0 FGF-mediated mesoderm induction involves the Src-family kinase Laloo.\u00a0 Nature<\/em> 394, 904-908.<\/p>\n Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong>, Honore, E., and Hemmati-Brivanlou, A. (1997).\u00a0 Epidermal induction and inhibition of neural fate by translation initiation factor 4AIII.\u00a0 Development<\/em> 124, 4235-4242.<\/p>\n Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong>,\u00a0 Ruiz i Altaba, A., Chen, W.S., Hoodless, P., Prezioso, V.R., Jessell, T.M., and Darnell, J.E., Jr. (1994).\u00a0 The winged helix transcription factor HNF-3\u03b2 is required for notochord development in the mouse embryo.\u00a0 Cell<\/em> 78, 575-588.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.15.1″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” hover_enabled=”0″ text_orientation_tablet=”left” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Book Chapters and Reviews<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Reich, S., and\u00a0Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong>\u00a0(2019).\u00a0\u00a0Repression of inappropriate gene expression in the vertebrate embryonic ectoderm.\u00a0Genes<\/em>\u00a010(11)<\/strong>, 895;\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/genes10110895<\/a><\/p>\n Wee, N.K.Y.,\u00a0Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong>, Fraser, S.T., and Assinder, S.J. (2013). The mammalian copper transporters CTR1 and CTR2 and their roles in development and disease.\u00a0The International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology<\/em>\u00a045, 960-963.<\/p>\n Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong> (2005).\u00a0 Mesodermal differentiation: signal integration during development.\u00a0 Science STKE<\/em> 2005, tr 23.<\/p>\n Weinstein, D.C.<\/strong> (2004).\u00a0 Function of the winged helix transcription factor HNF3\u03b2\/FoxA2 during gastrulation.\u00a0 In Stern, C. (ed.), Gastrulation<\/em>, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York, 563-570.<\/p>\n\n