Michael Thomas Marr

Associate Professor of Biology

mmarr@brandeis.edu
781-736-2481
Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, 334

Departments/Programs

Biology
Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center

Degrees

Cornell University, Ph.D.
Bucknell University, B.S.

Expertise

Mechanisms regulating gene expression in response to stress.

Profile

In my lab we use a combination of modern molecular genetic techniques such as RNAi and transgenic
animals as well as biochemical techniques such as protein purification and in vitro reconstitution assays. In
addition, we combine both genomic approaches based on modern deep sequencing techniques with detailed
biochemical analysis in the hopes of understanding both detailed molecular mechanisms and broad systems
level integration. In these investigations we use a combination of model systems to capitalize on the major
advantages of each system. We mainly use mammalian cells (mouse, rat and human) and Drosophila (cells
and whole flies) as our systems. My lab is focused on investigating how an animal cell responds to
developmental and environmental signals and how this response is manifested in changes in gene expression.
The developmental, metabolic, and environmental signals a cell receives induce changes in both RNA and
protein synthesis. Most recently the lab has focused on the control of gene expression in two systems: the
cellular response to heavy metal shock and the response to cellular stress through the FOXO family of
transcription factors. During my postdoctoral training I was part of a group that set up a model system to image
transcription activation in a single cell, so the lab also has a strong interest in single cell imaging.

Courses Taught

BIOL	91g	Introduction to Research Practice
BIOL	105b	Molecular Biology
BIOL	151a	Project Laboratory in Protein Biochemistry
BIOL	152b	Virus Hunter Lab
BIOL	156a	Project Laboratory in Biotechnology
BIOL	350a	Graduate Student Research Seminar
BIOL	350b	Graduate Student Research Seminar

Awards and Honors

Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar in Aging Award (2009)

March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Award (2009)

Scholarship

Fant CB, Levandowski CB, Gupta K, Maas ZL, Moir J, Rubin JD, Sawyer A, Esbin MN, Rimel JK, Luyties O, Marr MT, Berger I, Dowell RD, Taatjes DJ,. "TFIID Enables RNA Polymerase II Promoter-Proximal Pausing.." Molecular Cell 78. (2020): 785-793.

Harris MT, Ho TC, Fruchtman H, Garin ME, Kubatin V, Lu T, Xue L, Marr MT 2nd.. "Complete Genome Sequences of Two Vibrio natriegens Bacteriophages.." Microbiol Resour Announc. 9. (2020): e01133-20.

Royer L, Shangraw K, Herzog JJ, Pouvreau S, Marr MT 2nd, Paradis S.. "The Metastasis Suppressor Protein Nme1 Is a Concentration-Dependent Modulator of Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II.." Biochemistry 58. 24 (2019): 2710-2714.

Royer L, Herzog JJ, Kenny K, Tzvetkova B, Cochrane JC, Marr MT 2nd, Paradis S.. "The Ras-like GTPase Rem2 is a potent inhibitor of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II activity.." J Biol Chem. 293. 38 (2018): 14798-14811.

Kang MJ, Vasudevan D, Kang K, Kim K, Park JE, Zhang N, Zeng X, Neubert TA, Marr MT 2nd, Ryoo HD.. "4E-BP is a target of the GCN2-ATF4 pathway during Drosophila development and aging.." J Cell Biol. 216. 1 (2017): 115-129.

Kenny K, Royer L, Moore AR, Chen X, Marr MT 2nd, Paradis S.. "Rem2 signaling affects neuronal structure and function in part by regulation of gene expression.." Mol Cell Neurosci. 85. (2017): 190-201.

Vasudevan D, Clark NK, Sam J, Cotham VC, Ueberheide B, Marr MT 2nd, Ryoo HD.. "The GCN2-ATF4 Signaling Pathway Induces 4E-BP to Bias Translation and Boost Antimicrobial Peptide Synthesis in Response to Bacterial Infection.." Cell Reports 21. 8 (2017): 2039-2047.

Coffey RT, Shi Y, Long MJ, Marr MT 2nd, Hedstrom L.. "Ubiquilin-mediated Small Molecule Inhibition of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) Signaling.." J Biol Chem. 291. 10 (2016): 5221-33.

Donovan MR, Marr MT 2nd.. "dFOXO Activates Large and Small Heat Shock Protein Genes in Response to Oxidative Stress to Maintain Proteostasis in Drosophila.." Journal of Biological Chemistry 291. 36 (2016): 19042-50.

Nicholas Clark & Michael T. Marr II. "Translation initiation factor requirements for cellular IRESes." Translational Control. Cold Spring Harbor Laboritory. Sept 6-10.

Andrew W. Sawyer, Michael T. Marr II.. "Investigating the role of co-activators in inducible transcription at the single cell level." Mechanisms of Eukaryotic Transcription. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories. August, 2015.

Spellberg MJ, Marr MT 2nd.. "FOXO regulates RNA interference in Drosophila and protects from RNA virus infection.." Proc Natl Acad Sci 112. 47 (2015): 14587-92.

Marr SK, Lis JT, Treisman JE, Marr MT 2nd.. "The Metazoan-Specific Mediator Subunit 26 (Med26) Is Essential For Viability And Is Found At Both Active Genes And Pericentric Heterochromatin In Drosophila.." MCB 34. 14 (2014): 2710-20.

Olson C, Donovan M, Spellberg M, and Marr MT 2nd.. "The Insulin Receptor Cellular IRES Confers Resistance to eIF4A Inhibition." eLife 2:e00542. (2014).

Ghiretti A, Kenny K, Marr M. 2nd, and Paradis S.. "CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation of the GTPase Rem2 is required to restrict dendritic complexity." J Neurosci. 33. (2013): 6504-15.

Katie L. Pennington, Sharon K. Marr, Michael T. Marr.. "The magnitude of the transcriptional response to heavy metal is dictated by a complex interplay of between TFIID and Mediator." Mechanisms of Eukaryotic Transcription. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Marissa R. Donovan, Michael T. Marr II.. "FOXO-dependent transcriptional activation of Hsp70 in response to oxidative stress." Mechanisms of Eukaryotic Transcription. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Pennington K, Marr SK, Chirn GW, Marr MT 2nd.. "Holo-TFIID controls the magnitude of a transcription burst and fine-tuning of transcription.." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110. (2013): 7678-83.

Calla Olson, Michael Spellberg, Marissa Donovan, Michael T. Marr II.. "Multi-level control of gene expression by Foxo transcription factors." Translational Control. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY. September 2012.

Calla Olson, Michael T. Marr II. "Insulin receptor 5' UTR provides resistance against eIF4A inhibition." Translational Control. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY. September 2012.

Marr, S. Pennington, K. and Marr, M.T., 2nd. "Efficient metal-specific transcription activation by Drosophila MTF-1 requires conserved cysteine residues in the carboxy-terminal domain.." Biochim Biophys Acta. 1819. 8 (2012): 902-12.

Pennington, KL and Marr, M.T.. "TAF1 knockdown increases RNA pol II occupancy and activity at Drosophila melanogaster metallothionein A gene.." Mechanisms of Eukaryotic Transcription. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY. August 2011.

Sims, HI, Chirn, GW, Marr, Michael Thomas. "Single nucleotide in the MTF-1 binding site can determine metal-specific transcription activation.." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 109. (2012): 16516-21.

Marr, SK, Sims, H., Chirn, G., Marr, M.T.. "Two Regions of the Drosophila Transcription activator MTF-1 and a differential use of cis elements contribute to metal specific transcription activation.." Mechanisms of Eukaryotic Transcription. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY. August 2011.

Kadener, S., Rodriguez, J., Abruzzi, K. C., Khodor, Y. L., Sugino, K., Marr, M. T., 2nd, Nelson, S., Rosbash, M.. "Genome-wide identification of targets of the drosha-pasha/DGCR8 complex." RNA 15. 4 (2009): 537-45.

Marr, M. T., 2nd. "TAF4 takes flight." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106. 5 (2009): 1295-6.

Deato, M. D., Marr, M. T., Sottero, T., Inouye, C., Hu, P., Tjian, R.. "MyoD targets TAF3/TRF3 to activate myogenin transcription." Mol Cell 32. 1 (2008): 96-105.

Hsu, J. Y., Juven-Gershon, T., Marr, M. T., 2nd, Wright, K. J., Tjian, R., Kadonaga, J. T.. "TBP, Mot1, and NC2 establish a regulatory circuit that controls DPE-dependent versus TATA-dependent transcription." Genes Dev 22. 17 (2008): 2353-8.

King, N., Westbrook, M. J., Young, S. L., Kuo, A., Abedin, M., Chapman, J., Fairclough, S., Hellsten, U., Isogai, Y., Letunic, I., Marr, M., Pincus, D., Putnam, N., Rokas, A., Wright, K. J., Zuzow, R., Dirks, W., Good, M., Goodstein, D., Lemons, D., Li. "The genome of the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis and the origin of metazoans." Nature 451. 7180 (2008): 783-8.

Casas-Tinto, S., Marr, M. T., 2nd, Andreu, P., Puig, O.. "Characterization of the Drosophila insulin receptor promoter." Biochim Biophys Acta 1769. 4 (2007): 236-43.

Marr, M. T., 2nd, D'Alessio, J. A., Puig, O., Tjian, R.. "IRES-mediated functional coupling of transcription and translation amplifies insulin receptor feedback." Genes Dev 21. 2 (2007): 175-83.

Marr, M. T., 2nd, Isogai, Y., Wright, K. J., Tjian, R.. "Coactivator cross-talk specifies transcriptional output." Genes Dev 20. 11 (2006): 1458-69.

Wright, K. J., Marr, M. T., 2nd, Tjian, R.. "TAF4 nucleates a core subcomplex of TFIID and mediates activated transcription from a TATA-less promoter." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103. 33 (2006): 12347-52.

Adelman, K., Marr, M. T., Werner, J., Saunders, A., Ni, Z., Andrulis, E. D., Lis, J. T.. "Efficient release from promoter-proximal stall sites requires transcript cleavage factor TFIIS." Mol Cell 17. 1 (2005): 103-12.

Marr, M. T., Roberts, J. W., Brown, S. E., Klee, M., Gussin, G. N.. "Interactions among CII protein, RNA polymerase and the lambda PRE promoter: contacts between RNA polymerase and the -35 region of PRE are identical in the presence and absence of CII protein." Nucleic Acids Res 32. 3 (2004): 1083-90.

Taatjes, D. J., Marr, M. T., Tjian, R.. "Regulatory diversity among metazoan co-activator complexes." Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 5. 5 (2004): 403-10.

Puig, O., Marr, M. T., Ruhf, M. L., Tjian, R.. "Control of cell number by Drosophila FOXO: downstream and feedback regulation of the insulin receptor pathway." Genes Dev 17. 16 (2003): 2006-20.

Park, J. S., Marr, M. T., Roberts, J. W.. "E. coli Transcription repair coupling factor (Mfd protein) rescues arrested complexes by promoting forward translocation." Cell 109. 6 (2002): 757-67.

Marr, M. T., Datwyler, S. A., Meares, C. F., Roberts, J. W.. "Restructuring of an RNA polymerase holoenzyme elongation complex by lambdoid phage Q proteins." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98. 16 (2001): 8972-8.

Marr, M. T., Roberts, J. W.. "Function of transcription cleavage factors GreA and GreB at a regulatory pause site." Mol Cell 6. 6 (2000): 1275-85.

Sharp, M. M., Chan, C. L., Lu, C. Z., Marr, M. T., Nechaev, S., Merritt, E. W., Severinov, K., Roberts, J. W., Gross, C. A.. "The interface of sigma with core RNA polymerase is extensive, conserved, and functionally specialized." Genes Dev 13. 22 (1999): 3015-26.

Ko, D. C., Marr, M. T., Guo, J., Roberts, J. W.. "A surface of Escherichia coli sigma 70 required for promoter function and antitermination by phage lambda Q protein." Genes Dev 12. 20 (1998): 3276-85.

Roberts, J. W., Yarnell, W., Bartlett, E., Guo, J., Marr, M., Ko, D. C., Sun, H., Roberts, C. W.. "Antitermination by bacteriophage lambda Q protein." Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 63. (1998): 319-25.

Darst S.A., Roberts, J.W., Malhotra, A. Marr, M., Severinov, K. & Severinova, E.. "Pribnow Box Recognition and Melting by Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase.." Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology. vol. 11 London: Springer Verlag, 1997. 27-40.

Marr, M. T., Roberts, J. W.. "Promoter recognition as measured by binding of polymerase to nontemplate strand oligonucleotide." Science 276. 5316 (1997): 1258-60.

Severinova, E., Severinov, K., Fenyo, D., Marr, M., Brody, E. N., Roberts, J. W., Chait, B. T., Darst, S. A.. "Domain organization of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase sigma 70 subunit." J Mol Biol 263. 5 (1996): 637-47.