DUKE UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
DUKEHEALTH.ORG
| Faculty & Staff |
Thomas C. Becker, PhD
Assistant Research Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition
Thomas Becker, PhD came to Duke and the Stedman Center in 2002 as an assistant research professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition. He did his graduate training in Dr. Christopher Newgard’s laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where he applied novel high-efficiency viral gene transfer techniques to study gene function in islet β-cells. Prior to coming to Duke University, he was a senior scientist at a Dallas-based biotechnology company, where he helped develop genetically engineered cell lines for cell-based in vivo insulin delivery. Since coming to the Stedman Center, he has developed new technologies for metabolic engineering of mammalian cells and has led efforts to understand the role of micro RNAs in regulation of pancreatic islet function. He is also a co-investigator on the Duke component of an NIH β-cell consortium grant.
Publications:
Ronnebaum SM, Ilkayeva O, Burgess SC, Joseph JW, Lu D, Stevens RD, Becker TC, Sherry AD, Newgard CB, Jensen MV. A Pyruvate Cycling Pathway Involving Cytosolic NADP-dependent Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Regulates Glucose-stimulated Insulin Secretion. J Biol Chem. 2006 Oct 13;281(41):30593-30602.
Jensen MV, Joseph JW, Ilkayeva O, Burgess S, Lu D, Ronnebaum SM, Odegaard M, Becker TC, Sherry AD, Newgard CB. Compensatory responses to pyruvate carboxylase suppression in islet beta-cells. Preservation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. J Biol Chem. 2006 Aug 4;281(31):22342-51.
Cao W, Collins QF, Becker TC, Robidoux J, Lupo EG Jr, Xiong Y, Daniel KW, Floering L, Collins S. p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase plays a stimulatory role in hepatic
gluconeogenesis. J Biol Chem. 2005 Dec 30;280(52):42731-7.
Iype T, Francis J, Garmey JC, Schisler JC, Nesher R, Weir GC, Becker TC, Newgard CB, Griffen SC, Mirmira RG. Mechanism of insulin gene regulation by the pancreatic transcription factor Pdx-1: Application of pre-mRNA analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation to assess formation of functional transcriptional complexes. J Biol Chem. 2005;280;16798-16807.
Schisler JC, Jensen PB, Taylor DG, Becker TC, Knop FK, Takekawa S, German M, Weir GC, Lu D, Mirmira RG, Newgard CB. The Nkx6.1 homeodomain transcription factor suppresses glucagon expression and regulates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in islet beta cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2005; 102;7297-7302.
Bain J, Schisler JC, Takeuchi K, Newgard CB, Becker TC. An adenovirus vector for efficient RNA1-mediated suppression of target genes in insulinoma cells and pancreatic islets of Langherhans. Diabetes. 2004;53:2190-2194.
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