Nicholas E. Baker, PhD
PhD 1986 MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge UK
Postdoc HHMI & Department of Molecular Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
Albert Einstein College of Medicine 1991-present

Cell competition and aneuploidy Competition is a process that can occur when cells within tissues differ, for example due to somatic mutation.   A specific pathway of cell competition selectively removes cells that have become aneuploid, or acquired other large-scale genetic changes.  This is thought to suppress tumorigenesis and promote healthy aging.  We have begun to identify the molecular pathways involved. Our current goals include understanding how differences in genome content between cells are recognized, how cell competition participates in tumor suppression, including the potential cell competition roles of p53, one of the most important human tumor suppressors, and how changes in cell competition might increase or be exploited to decrease cancer incidence, both in fruitflies and in mammals.

Ribosomopathy Ribosomes are essential for growth.  Their biogenesis and assembly are elaborate, regulated processes.  Ribosome biogenesis and function is affected during growth and in neurodegenerative diseases.  Mutations in ribosomal protein genes unexpectedly seem to be causal in many cancers.  We are interested in the molecular signaling mechanisms activated by ribosomes, and their roles in cancer and neurological diseases.

Neural cell fate determination  Commitment to neural development requires the expression of particular transcriptional master regulatory genes, of which the proneural basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins are most important.  Their activities appear to be highly regulated.  Our studies use genetic screening, modern genome resequencing methods and multidisciplinary studies to characterize how proneural bHLH proteins are regulated. 

Recent Publications:

Kiparaki, M. and Baker, N.E.  (2023) Ribosomal protein mutations and cell competition: autonomous and nonautonomous effects on a stress response.  Genetics 224: iyad080

Folgado-Marco, V., Ames, K., Chuen, J., Gritsman, K., and Baker, N.E.  (2023) Haploinsufficiency of the essential gene RpS12 causes defects in erythropoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell maintenance.  Elife 12:e69322.

Baker, N.E. and Montagna, C.  (2022).  Reducing the aneuploid cell burden – cell competition and the ribosome connection.  Dis Model Mech  15: dmm049673.

Kumar, A. and Baker, N.E.  (2022).  The CRL4 E3 ligase Mahjong/DCAF1 controls cell competition through the transcription factor Xrp1, independently of polarity genes.  Development  149: dev200795.

Kiparaki, M., Khan, C., Folgado Marco, V., Chuen, J., and Baker, N.E.  (2022) The transcription factor Xrp1 orchestrates both reduced translation and cell competition upon defective ribosome assembly or function.   Elife, 11: e71705.

Ji, Z., Chuen, J. Kipakai, M., and Baker, N.E.  (2021) Cell competition removes segmental aneuploid cells from Drosophila imaginal disc-derived tissues based on ribosomal protein gene dose.  Elife, 10:e61172.        

Quiquand, M., Rimesso, G., Qiao, N., Suo, S., Zhou, C., Slattery, M., White, K.P., Han, J.J., and Baker, N.E. (2021)    New regulators of Drosophila eye development identified from temporal transcriptome changes.  Genetics, 217(4):   iyab007

Baker, N.E.  Emerging mechanisms of cell competition. (2020)  Nature Reviews Genetics,  21; 683-697.

Blanco, J., Cooper, J.C., and Baker, N.E.  (2020)  Roles of C/EBP class bZip proteins in the growth and cell competition of Rp (“Minute”) mutants in Drosophila (2020).  Elife, 9 9:e50535

Baker, N.E., Kiparaki, M., and Khan, C.  (2019)  A potential link between p53, cell competition and ribosomopathy in mammals and in Drosophila.  Dev Biol  446: 17-19.

Ji, Z., Kiparaki, M., Folgado, V., Kumar, A., Blanco, J. Rimesso, G., Liu, Y.,        Zheng, D., and Baker, N.E. (2019) Drosophila RpS12 controls translation,    growth, and cell competition through Xrp1.                                             PLoS Genetics, 15(12):e1008513.

Wang, L.-H. and Baker, N.E. (2019) Salvador-Warts-Hippo pathway regulates  sensory organ development via caspase-dependent non-apoptotic signaling.  Cell Death & Disease 10 669.

Li, K. and Baker, N.E. (2019) Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of extra macrochaetae during Drosophila adult peripheral neurogenesis.  Dev Biol 449: 41-51.