Borchert Lab

04/07/2025

https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/ilc/facultyspotlight_borchert.html

04/07/2025

https://thebusinessview.com/borchert-lab-research-at-usa-challenges-longstanding-view-of-gene-regulation/

MOBILE, Ala. – A groundbreaking study from researchers at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine could redefine how scientists understand the role of DNA in regulating genes. Published in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Nucleic Acids Research, the study introduces a revolutionary conce...

12/10/2024

The Borchert Lab has just published an article detailing the first-ever experimental demonstration that genomic enhancers target specific promoters through direct DNA:DNA interaction.

Abstract. Several studies have now described instances where G-rich sequences in promoters and enhancers regulate gene expression through forming G-quadrup

09/24/2024

Super proud of our ASMS team!

02/02/2024

Borchert lab releases preprint detailing the first-ever experimental demonstration that genomic enhancers target specific promoters through direct DNA:DNA interaction.

Jeffrey D DeMeis, Justin T Roberts, Haley A Delcher, Noel L Godang, Alexander B Coley, Cana L Brown, Michael H Shaw, Sayema Naaz, Enas S Alsatari, Ayush Dahal, Shahem Y Alqudah, Kevin N Nguyen, Anita D Nguyen, Sunita S Paudel, Hong Dang, Wanda K O'Neal, Michael R Knowles, Dominika Houserova, Mark N Gillespie, Glen M Borchert. Long G4-rich enhancer physically interacts with EXOC3 promoter via a G4:G4 DNA-based mechanism. bioRxiv 2024.01.29.577212; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.29.577212

Enhancers are genomic sequences that function as regulatory elements capable of increasing the transcription of a given gene often located at a considerable distance. The broadly accepted model of enhancer activation involves bringing an enhancer-bound activator protein complex into close spatial pr...

06/06/2023

Dr. Glen Borchert was recently interviewed by the National Science Foundation regarding his current research efforts and what we can be doing to prepare for the next pandemic. This 30 minute podcast was published June 5.

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/science-before-the-storm/episodes/Unlock-Your-Superpower-How-Looking-for-Four-Leaf-Clovers-Can-Reveal-the-Potential-of-Non-Coding-RNA-e23gcqc

04/07/2023

Borchert Laboratory Awarded $800K NSF Grant.

Dr. Glen Borchert was one of 30 principal investigators invited to a National Science Foundation think tank last summer in Airlie, Virginia. While there, he teamed up with six other investigators with diverse and complementary expertise to study how we communicate with our microbiome. Each member of the group wrote an independent grant covering one aspect of their hypothesis, and Dr. Borchert's research proposal was just awarded $800,000 in funding to examine the role of extracellular RNA (exRNA) in communication between cells and shaping the community of microbes, especially bacteria, that live on and inside humans.

11/02/2022

Congratulations to Dr. Glen Borchert for being recognized as the 2022 University of South Alabama Scholar of the Year!

08/16/2022

Borchert Laboratory Awarded $1M NSF Grant

The Borchert Laboratory has recently identified a novel, systems-level gene regulatory control for global prokaryotic transcriptome reprogramming advancing our basic knowledge of the molecular mechanisms driving microbial adaptation and environmental response. Based on this, the National Science Foundation has awarded the Borchert Laboratory a three year, $1M grant to better establish the mechanisms driving the decision between active stress resistance and persister formation by bacteria.

08/15/2022

*Borchert Laboratory Awarded Major 2 Year NSF Grant*

Recent work by the Borchert Laboratory suggests genes are regulated by G4:G4 interactions between enhancers and promoters. Based on this, the National Science Foundation has awarded the Borchert Laboratory a two year, $425,000 grant to better establish the role of G4 DNA structures in coordinating gene expressions.

07/29/2022

Borchert Lab authors review detailing novel RNA contributors to cancer:

In the past decade, RNA fragments derived from full-length small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) have been shown to be specifically excised and functional. These sno-derived RNAs (sdRNAs) have been implicated as gene regulators in a multitude of cancers, controlling a variety of genes post-transcriptionall...

06/30/2022

Borchert Lab coauthors paper describing novel lncRNA contributor to SARS-CoV-2 infection:

Noncoding RNAs are important regulators of mucoinflammatory response, but little is known about the contribution of airway long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in COVID-19. RNA-seq analysis showed a more than four-fold increased expression of IL-6, ICAM-1, CXCL-8, and SCGB1A1 inflammatory factors; MUC5AC a...