Positions

Overview

  • I received my Ph.D. degree in Immunology and Microbiology from the University of Oklahoma with Dr. Paul Kincade. I then moved to Harvard Medical School for my post-doctoral training with Dr. Dan Tenen.

    • Selected Publications

    Academic Article

    Year Title Altmetric
    2021 Core-binding factor leukemia hijacks the T-cell-prone PU.1 antisense promoter..  Blood.  138:1345-1358. 2021
    2021 Improved hematopoietic stem cell transplantation upon inhibition of natural killer cell-derived interferon-gamma.  Stem Cell Reports.  16:1999-2013. 2021
    2021 TNF-α-induced alterations in stromal progenitors enhance leukemic stem cell growth via CXCR2 signaling.  Cell Reports.  36. 2021
    2021 PU.1 enforces quiescence and limits hematopoietic stem cell expansion during inflammatory stress.  Journal of Experimental Medicine.  218. 2021
    2021 E-cadherin is regulated by GATA-2 and marks the early commitment of mouse hematopoietic progenitors to the basophil and mast cell fates.  Science Immunology.  6. 2021
    2021 Metabolic alterations mediated by STAT3 promotes drug persistence in CML.  Leukemia.  2021
    2020 Bone marrow Tregs mediate stromal cell function and support hematopoiesis via IL-10.  JCI insight.  5. 2020
    2020 Lysine acetyltransferase Tip60 is required for hematopoietic stem cell maintenance.  Blood.  136:1735-1747. 2020
    2020 Selective LXR agonist DMHCA corrects retinal and bone marrow dysfunction in type 2 diabetes.  JCI insight.  5. 2020
    2020 Single-Cell RNA-Seq Mapping of Human Thymopoiesis Reveals Lineage Specification Trajectories and a Commitment Spectrum in T Cell Development.  Immunity.  52:1105-1118.e9. 2020
    2019 Mapping Distinct Bone Marrow Niche Populations and Their Differentiation Paths.  Cell Reports.  28:302-311.e5. 2019
    2019 SIRT1 regulates metabolism and leukemogenic potential in CML stem cells.  Journal of Clinical Investigation.  129:2685-2701. 2019
    2018 The IL-33-PIN1-IRAK-M axis is critical for type 2 immunity in IL-33-induced allergic airway inflammation.  Nature Communications.  9. 2018
    2018 The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor SHARP1 is an oncogenic driver in MLL-AF6 acute myelogenous leukemia.  Nature Communications.  9. 2018
    2018 C/EBPγ is dispensable for steady-state and emergency granulopoiesis 2018
    2017 ZNF143 protein is an important regulator of the myeloid transcription factor C/EBPα.  Journal of Biological Chemistry.  292:18924-18936. 2017
    2017 Regulation of normal and leukemic stem cells through cytokine signaling and the microenvironment.  International Journal of Hematology.  105:566-577. 2017
    2016 Targeted BMI1 inhibition impairs tumor growth in lung adenocarcinomas with low CEBPα expression.  Science Translational Medicine.  8:350ra104. 2016
    2016 The second hit of DNA methylation 2016
    2016 Multiple sclerosis: getting personal with induced pluripotent stem cells..  Cell Death and Disease.  7:e2185. 2016
    2016 Acetylation of C/EBPα inhibits its granulopoietic function.  Nature Communications.  7. 2016
    2016 The DNA ligase IV syndrome R278H mutation impairs B lymphopoiesis via error-prone nonhomologous end-joining.  Journal of Immunology.  196:244-255. 2016
    2015 Hematopoietic Differentiation Is Required for Initiation of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  Cell Stem Cell.  17:611-623. 2015
    2015 Multiple sclerosis: Getting personal with induced pluripotent stem cells.  Cell Death and Disease.  6. 2015
    2015 Dissecting the role of aberrant DNA methylation in human leukaemia.  Nature Communications.  6. 2015
    2015 Treatment of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia by Blocking Cytokine Alterations Found in Normal Stem and Progenitor Cells.  Cancer Cell.  27:671-681. 2015
    2014 β-catenin contributes to lung tumor development induced by EGFR mutations.  Cancer Research.  74:5891-5902. 2014
    2014 The Runx-PU.1 pathway preserves normal and AML/ETO9a leukemic stem cells.  Blood.  124:2391-2399. 2014
    2014 9-1-1: HSCs respond to emergency calls.  Cell Stem Cell.  14:415-416. 2014
    2014 Stem and progenitor cell subsets are affected by JAK2 signaling and can be monitored by flow cytometry.  PLoS ONE.  9. 2014
    2014 Sox4 Is a Key Oncogenic Target in C/EBPα Mutant Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  Cancer Cell.  25:257. 2014
    2013 Sox4 Is a Key Oncogenic Target in C/EBPα Mutant Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  Cancer Cell.  24:575-588. 2013
    2013 C/EBPΑ is required for development of dendritic cell progenitors.  Blood.  121:4073-4081. 2013
    2013 Sustained PU.1 Levels Balance Cell-Cycle Regulators to Prevent Exhaustion of Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cells.  Molecular Cell.  49:934-946. 2013
    2013 In vivo generation of transplantable human hematopoietic cells from induced pluripotent stem cells.  Blood.  121:1255-1264. 2013
    2012 CD86 is expressed on murine hematopoietic stem cells and denotes lymphopoietic potential.  Blood.  119:4889-4897. 2012
    2011 Chronic exposure to a TLR ligand injures hematopoietic stem cells.  Journal of Immunology.  186:5367-5375. 2011
    2010 Functional diversity of stem and progenitor cells with B-lymphopoietic potential.  Immunological Reviews.  237:10-21. 2010
    2009 Asynchronous RAG-1 expression during B lymphopoiesis.  Journal of Immunology.  183:7768-7777. 2009
    2009 A possible contribution of retinoids to regulation of fetal B lymphopoiesis.  European Journal of Immunology.  39:2515-2524. 2009
    2009 A differentiation pathway for B1 cells in adult bone marrow 2009
    2009 Balance between Id and E proteins regulates myeloid-versus-lymphoid lineage decisions.  Blood.  113:1016-1026. 2009
    2008 Lymphoid precursors are directed to produce dendritic cells as a result of TLR9 ligation during herpes infection.  Blood.  112:3753-3761. 2008
    2008 Evolving views on the genealogy of B cells.  Nature Reviews Immunology.  8:95-106. 2008
    2008 CXCL9 and CXCL10 expression are critical for control of genital herpes simplex virus type 2 infection through mobilization of HSV-specific CTL and NK cells to the nervous system.  Journal of Immunology.  180:1098-1106. 2008
    2008 Retinoids accelerate B lineage lymphoid differentiation.  Journal of Immunology.  180:138-145. 2008
    2007 Stem Cells on Patrol.  Cell.  131:842-844. 2007
    2007 Interferon-producing killer dendritic cells (IKDCs) arise via a unique differentiation pathway from primitive c-kitHiCD62L+ lymphoid progenitors.  Blood.  109:4825-4831. 2007
    2007 Early lymphopoiesis in adult bone marrow.  Inmunología.  26:135-144. 2007
    2006 Primitive lymphoid progenitors in bone marrow with T lineage reconstituting potential.  Journal of Immunology.  177:2880-2887. 2006
    2006 Life before the pre-B cell receptor checkpoint: Specification and commitment of primitive lymphoid progenitors in adult bone marrow.  Seminars in Immunology.  18:2-11. 2006
    2005 Age-related loss of bone marrow pre-B- and immature B-lymphocytes in the autoimmune-prone flaky skin mutant mice.  Autoimmunity.  38:399-408. 2005
    2005 In vitro differentiation and measurement of B cell progenitor activity in culture. 2005
    2005 Isolation of prolymphocytes from bone marrow and fetal liver. 2005
    2005 Lymphoid progenitors and primary routes to becoming cells of the immune system.  Current Opinion in Immunology.  17:100-107. 2005
    2005 Measurement of natural killer cell progenitor activity in culture. 2005
    2004 Hyperactivation and proliferation of lymphocytes from the spleens of flaky skin (fsn) mutant mice.  Autoimmunity.  37:227-235. 2004
    2002 Antinuclear autoantibodies in flaky skin (fsn) mutant mice.  Autoimmunity.  35:175-181. 2002

    Research Overview

  • Altered hematopoietic environment in leukemia.
    Our research has focused on stem cell biology, transcription factors, and gene regulation differences between normal adult cells and their diseased counterpart. Major advances have been made recently in describing the transcriptional networks dictating self-renewal of stem cells, and a number of important transcriptional regulators have been characterized during hematopoiesis; meanwhile, understanding how these processes become dysregulated in their function in hematopoietic stem cells has not been well established. Our research projects investigate the role of steady-state and perturbed microenvironments on stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, and more importantly the interplay between these contradictory forces within the stem cell niche.

    • Principal Investigator On

    Investigator On

    Education And Training

  • Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, University of Oklahoma 2007
  • Master of Science in Medical Basic Sciences, University of Maine System : University of Southern Maine 2002

    • Full Name

  • Robert Welner