Karen Reue *

Karen Reue

Department Vice Chair, Human Genetics, Human Genetics, University of California Los Angeles

Professor, Human Genetics, University of California Los Angeles

Professor, Medicine, University of California Los Angeles

(310) 794-5631

Laboratory Address:
Department of Human Genetics
Gonda Building, 6th floor
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Lab Number:
(310) 267-2752

Mailing Address:
Department of Human Genetics
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
695 Charles E. Young Drive South
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Fax Number:
(310) 794-5446

Office Address:
Department of Human Genetics
Gonda Building, 6th floor
Los Angeles, CA 90095

UC Profile

Affiliations

Member, Cell & Developmental Biology GPB Home Area, Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Genetics & Genomics GPB Home Area, I3T Theme, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area
 

Research Interests

Genes underlying disorders in lipid and glucose metabolism We are interested in identifying genes that underlie abnormalities in lipid and glucose metabolism using the mouse as a model. We are using techniques such as positional cloning and gene-trapping to identify novel genes that function in these processes. Much of our recent work has focused on the fatty liver dystrophy (fld) mutation, which results in lipodystrophy (lack of fat tissue) and diabetes. Using a positional cloning approach, we identified the fld mutation in a novel gene that we named Lipin. We are studying the role of lipin in fat and muscle in several models, including engineered mouse strains, cultured cells, human tissue, and invertebrate organisms. We have recently isolated a second novel gene via positional cloning from a mouse strain that is resistant to high cholesterol levels and atherosclerosis when fed a high fat diet. Mutation in this intestinally expressed gene confers resistance to detrimental effects of a high fat diet. We will further elucidate the function of this gene using mouse and cell culture models, and will investigate its involvement in human disease and potential as a drug target. A complementary approach to isolation of genes from mouse strains with specific phenotypes is a functional genomics approach. As members of the BayGenomics Gene-trap Consortium, we are generating and characterizing mouse strains with mutations produced in a high throughput manner to determine gene function and relevance to disease.

Publications