Welcome to the Van Bortle Lab


Our group combines biochemical, molecular and genomic approaches to investigate RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcription dynamics and mechanisms and pathways that regulate Pol III. We are probing the full extent of Pol III transcription, its dynamic, context-specific activities during development, and the regulatory factors and molecular events that modulate Pol III activity. We are also pursuing the functional activities and consequences of specific, cancer-associated small ncRNA expressed by Pol III with the overarching goal of understanding how Pol III contributes to cancer growth and metastasis. 

Our genes are expressed by three DNA-dependent RNA polymerase machineries, Pol I, Pol II, and Pol III. RNA polymerase III (Pol III) is unique in that it exclusively transcribes genes encoding small noncoding RNA (ncRNA), many of which are critical for cell growth and proliferation. Upregulation of Pol III activity and specific small ncRNA are hallmarks of cancer. Currently, a mechanistic understanding of the events that give rise to Pol III overactivity and the downstream functions of multiple cancer-associated small RNA species remains lacking.


The Pol III apparatus itself is unique in multiple respects, including the fact that Pol III switches its "identity" by replacing a single subunit during mammalian development. We have recently found that one form of Pol III, which re-emerges in many cancer types and is associated with poor survival outcomes, promotes the expression of specific small ncRNA implicated in cancer growth and metastasis. We are investigating the mechanisms underlying Pol III identity-driven transcription potential, as well as the downstream function(s) of Pol III-derived small ncRNA with the goal of deconstructing the relationship between Pol III overactivity, cancer growth, and health outcomes. 

11.11.23 | Jenny, Rajendra, Sihang and Simon presented their work at the Cell and Developmental Biology (CDB) Department Retreat at Allerton


11.02.23 | Anshita and Leela presented their undergraduate research at the MCB Undergraduate Research Symposium! Congratulations Leela on receiving the School of MCB Director's Award for Exceptional Research Presentation!

10.15.23 | Our study of predicted regulatory features underlying POLR3G expression is published in a special issue on RNA polymerase I and III in Cancer. Congratulations first authors Jenny and Sihang and the rest of the team!

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/15/20/4995


05.15.23 | Welcome undergraduate students David Condroski (Computer Science) and Jamie Im (Chemistry)!


05.09.23 | Rajendra passes Biophysics qualifying exam


05.01.23 | Anshita and Leela receive MCB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURFs)


04.10.23 | Sihang passes CDB preliminary exam


04.04.23 | Jenny passes CDB preliminary exam


02.08.23 | Sihang's review on the Pol III transcriptome is published in WIREs RNA!

https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wrna.1782


01.12.23 | Jenny's mini-review on Pol III RPC7 subunits (POLR3G and POLR3GL) is published in Frontiers Molecular Biosciences!

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2022.1073795/full


10.22.22 | Sihang and Jenny presented their work at the CDB

Cell and Developmental Biology Retreat, congratulations Sihang on winning a 3MT award!


09.01.22 | Welcome MCB undergraduate students Anshita Jayanth and Leela Mouli and Graduate Student Simón Lizarazo from Molecular and Integrative Physiology (MIP)


01.12.22 | Welcome graduate student Rajendra K C from the Center for Biophysics & Quantitative Biology (CBQB)


11.01.21 | Hello World from the Van Bortle Lab. Welcome graduate students Sihang Zhou and Ruiying (Jenny) Cheng from Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB)



[ group photos ]


Kevin Van Bortle

Assistant Professor


Cell and Developmental Biology | Cancer Center at Illinois (affiliate)

kvbortle@illinois.edu

Sihang Zhou

Graduate Student


Cell and Developmental Biology


sihangz2@illinois.edu

Rajendra K C

Graduate Student


Biophysics & Quantitative Biology


rkc5@illinois.edu

Ruiying Cheng

Graduate Student


Cell and Developmental Biology


rcheng14@illinois.edu

Simn Lizarazo 

Graduate Student


Molecular and Integrative Physiology


simonl3@illinois.edu

Anshita Jayanth

Undergraduate Student


Molecular and Cellular Biology


jayanth3@illinois.edu

Leela Mouli

Undergraduate Student


Molecular and Cellular Biology


lmouli2@illinois.edu

Grace (Bingting) He

Research Assistant


Integrative Biology alumnus (B.S.)


bh18@illinois.edu

David Condroski

Undergraduate Student


Computer Science



dcondr2@illinois.edu

Jamie Im

Undergraduate Student


Chemistry



jim21@illinois.edu

A combinatorial regulatory platform determines expression of RNA polymerase III subunit RPC7alpha (POLR3G) in cancer.

Cheng R*, Zhou S*, K C R , Lizarazo S,  Mouli L, Jayanth A, Liu Q, Van Bortle K#.

Cancers. 2023 15(20) 4995. doi: 10.3390/cancers15204995


The Pol III transcriptome: Basic features, recurrent patterns, and emerging roles in cancer.

Zhou S, Van Bortle K#.

Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2023 Feb 8:e1782. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1782


RNA polymerase III transcription and cancer: A tale of two RPC7 subunits.

Cheng R, Van Bortle K#.

Front Mol Biosci. 2023 Jan 12;9:1073795. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1073795.


A cancer-associated RNA polymerase III identity drives robust transcription and expression of snaR-A noncoding RNA.

Van Bortle K, Marciano DP, Liu Q, Chou T, Lipchik AM, Gollapudi S, Geller BS, Monte E, Kamakaka RT, Snyder MP.

Nat Commun. 2022 May 30;13(1):3007. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30323-6


Topological organization and dynamic regulation of human tRNA genes during macrophage differentiation.

Van Bortle K, Phanstiel DH, Snyder MP.

Genome Biol. 2017 Sep 20;18(1):180. doi: 10.1186/s13059-017-1310-3


Static and Dynamic DNA Loops form AP-1-Bound Activation Hubs during Macrophage Development.

Phanstiel DH*, Van Bortle K*, Spacek D, Hess GT, Shamim MS, Machol I, Love MI, Aiden EL, Bassik MC, Snyder MP.

Mol Cell. 2017 Sep 21;67(6):1037-1048.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2017.08.006


Integrated tRNA, transcript, and protein profiles in response to steroid hormone signaling.

Van Bortle K, Nichols MH, Ramos E, Corces VG.

RNA. 2015 Oct;21(10):1807-17. doi: 10.1261/rna.052126.115


Insulator function and topological domain border strength scale with architectural protein occupancy.

Van Bortle K, Nichols MH, Li L, Ong CT, Takenaka N, Qin ZS, Corces VG.

Genome Biol. 2014 Jun 30;15(6):R82. doi: 10.1186/gb-2014-15-5-r82


[ full publication list ] 

dominatR: Feature Dominance Data Visualization 

Simn Lizarazo and Rajendra K C


R package for quantifying and visualizing feature dominance in datasets. dominatR makes use of Shannon's entropy to identify features that are dominated within a particular category or condition. Includes built-in functions for data normalization, categorical entropy calculation, and feature dominance visualization.

Contact

kvbortle@illinois.edu


Address:

B520 CLSL

601 S. Goodwin Ave. 

Urbana, IL 61801