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Williams LAB @ UC Berkeley

Dept. of Plant & Microbial Biology.
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What we do

Answering fundamental questions in

plant genetics & epigenetics

1. What is epigenetics & how does it work?

Epigenetics is the study of heritable information that is not contained within the DNA sequence of the genome. One example of this is DNA methylation - a reversible chemical modification to DNA that can be added or removed by specialized enzymes. DNA methylation can profoundly affect how a DNA sequence functions. Two genes with identical sequences can produce very different traits, depending on whether or not methylation is added to the DNA. Below is an example of a gene that changes the leaf surface when its DNA methylation is removed:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Williams lab, we are interested in understanding how this epigenetic information is regulated and maintained by cells:

  • How do the enzymes that add and remove DNA methylation find which sequences to act upon with precision?

  • How do DNA methylation patterns get accurately inherited over many generations?

  • How do these mechanisms function during the development of tissues and organs?

2. How do cells recognize different DNA sequences?

Each eukaryotic genome contains an enormously complex array of genetic information. DNA sequences can exhibit a huge diversity of functions and regulations. For example, genes encoding proteins can be highly expressed in all cells, or turned on precisely at particular times or in cell types. Repetitive DNA is often transcriptionally silent, as expressing repetitive sequences can cause problems for the cell. We are interested in understanding how the myriad sequences of the genome are perceived:

  • How is repetitive DNA recognized?

  • How are important genes protected from silencing?

  • How do different DNA sequences regulate their epigenetic state?

3. How does epigenetics influence cell identity and regeneration?

Every cell within an organism contains the same genome sequence, yet cells can differentiate into diverse and specialized cell types. The cells of many plant species show an extraordinary ability to be flexible, reversing or changing their specialized cell identity in response to certain conditions. In the Williams lab, we are fascinated by how this happens at the level of perceiving and processing genetic and epigenetic information. 

The information to make different cell types is accessible to every cell - so what determines the conditions under which cells can change their state? How are some plant species able to do this much better than others?

Answering these questions could have a large impact on the world, by changing how we can get different plant species to regenerate. Regenerating whole plants from a few cells is a critical part of the process of plant engineering. The inability to regenerate many types of plants is a significant hurdle to our ability to use gene editing technologies (such as CRISPR/Cas9) to improve these plants to meet future challenges. Mitigating the effects of global climate change on agriculture and environments across the world will likely require the creative and nimble use of gene editing, which will require an understanding of how to regenerate gene edited plants. In the Williams lab, we are motivated to help unlock the secrets of plant regeneration to expand our ability to improve important plants to meet global challenges.

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Left: shoots of a passion flower plant regenerating in tissue culture. Right: branches regenerating from the trunk of a felled ash tree

Source: Wikimedia commons

PEOPLE

PEOPLE

Ben Williams - PI

B.A. Biology, Oxford University
Ph.D. Plant Sciences, Cambridge University

Interests: Genetics, Genomics, Synthetic Biology, Innovation

Hobbies: Music, Hiking

Dawei Dai - Post-Doc

 

B.S. Bioengineering, Xiangtan University, China

Ph.D.  Plant Molecular Genetics, Shanghai University, China

Post-doc. Plant Cell & Molecular Biology, University of Florida

Interests: Molecular Genetics, Developmental Biology, Epigenetics

Hobbies: Basketball, Hiking

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Yinwei Zeng - Post-Doc

 

B.S. Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, China

Ph.D. Bioscience Engineering, University of Ghent, Belgium

Post-doc. Department of Plants and Crops, University of Ghent, Belgium

Interests: Epigenetics, Plant Development, Molecular Biology and Plant-Microbe Interactions

Hobbies: Badminton, Camping, Hiking, Table Tennis

Kat Smoot - Grad student

 

B.S. Genetics and Plant Biology, UC Berkeley

Interests: Microscopy, Regeneration, Development

Hobbies: Ballroom Dance, Houseplants, Photography

Anna Dmitrieva - Grad student

 

B.S. Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Interests: Development, Pluripotency, Adaptation, Diversity

Hobbies: Hiking and Camping, Podcasts, Painting, Biking

PhD Positions available!
Post-Doc positions available!

Looking to join the team?

email benwilliams@berkeley.edu for more info!

NEWS

NEWS

July 2024 - We are thrilled to have obtained an R35 award from the NIH

Oct 2023 - The lab's study on gene body methylation states is published in Genome Biology. Congrats to all authors! https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-023-03059-9

Sep 2023 - Ben receives the 2023 Bakar Spark Award and will be a Bakar BioIngenuity Hub Fellow. (https://bakarfellows.berkeley.edu/bakar-fellows-program-announces-2023-spark-award-recipients/)

Jun 2023 - Ben receives the Rose Hills Innovator Award for the lab's work on plant regeneration.

Jun 2023 - Anna passes her qualifying exam and becomes a PhD candidate! Congrats, Anna!

Mar 2023 - Kat passes her qualifying exam and becomes a PhD candidate! Congrats, Kat!

Feb 2023 - Undergrads Farrah & Jingwen join the lab. Welcome, Farrah & Jingwen!

Dec 2022 - A new pre-print from our lab is available! Dynamic DNA methylation turnover in gene bodies is associated with enhanced gene expression plasticity | bioRxiv

Oct 2022 - Undergrads Ken & Gabriel join the lab. Welcome, Ken & Gabriel!

Aug 2022 - Undergrads Hannah and Elvis join the lab. Welcome, Hannah and Elvis!

Jun 2022 - New Post-Doc Dawei Dai joins the lab after working on maize genetics during his Ph.D. at Shanghai University and during a post-doc at the University of Florida. Welcome, Dawei!

Jun 2022 - Clara receives an NSF Postdoctoral fellowship in biology to study epigenetic regulation in callus regeneration using tomato as a model species. Congrats, Clara!

May 2022 - New Ph.D. students Kat and Anna join the lab. Welcome, Kat and Anna!

 

May 2022 - Ben Williams is named to the 2022-2023 Society of Hellman Fellows! Congrats, Ben! Learn more about this award here.

Sep 2021 - Undergrads Isabelle and Cindy join the lab. Welcome, Isabelle and Cindy!

Mar 2021 - A new pre-print from the lab on the role of DNA demethylases in plants: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.29.437569v1

Mar 2021 - Post-Doc Clara Williams joins the lab after finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Ghent, Belgium and helping beat covid-19 at the diagnostics lab in Berkeley. Welcome Clara!

Feb 2020 - Plant biology undergrad Connor Tumelty joins the lab. Welcome, Connor!

Nov 2020 - Kevin Tran joins the team after graduating from Carleton College! Welcome, Kevin!

The Williams lab is open! We opened in the Innovative Genomics Institute building at UC Berkeley in the summer of 2020.

We are excited to be recruiting new team members! Post-Doc candidates with an interest in epigenetics, genomics and biochemistry are especially encouraged to apply. Experience working with plants is welcome but not strictly necessary. Email benwilliams@berkeley.edu for information about positions.

PUBLICATIONS

For the most up-to-date list of publications, check Ben Williams' Google Scholar page

2022

2021

Picard, CL, Povilus, RA, Williams, BP, Gehring, M. (2021). Transcriptional and imprinting complexity in Arabidopsis seeds at single-nucleus resolution. Nat. Plants  7: 730–738. 

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PUBLICATIONS

LAB FUN

Lab Fun
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