Bruce Wightman

Associate Professor
New Science Building 220
484-664-3254
wightman@muhlenberg.edu

Education
B.A. Oberlin College
Ph.D. Harvard University

Courses Taught
Principles of Biology III (BIO 152)
Genetics (BIO 215)
Molecular Biology (BIO 412)
Advanced Neuroscience (NSC 448)

Research Interests
My lab studies the molecular genetics of development in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This microscopic worm has proved a fruitful model for understanding basic biological problems. Research students in my lab are studying a gene called fax-1, which functions in development of neurons and a related gene called nhr-67, which functions in the development of various cells and organs. These studies provide models for understanding an inherited form of human blindness called Enhanced S-Cone Sensitivity and for understanding the mechanism cell-to-cell signaling and cancer. For more detailed information, consult the Wightman Research Lab homepage.

Publications
Wightman, B., N. Carmean ('98), B. Ebert ('99), K. Weber, and S. Clever (2005) The C. elegans nuclear receptor gene fax-1 and homeobox gene unc-42 coordinate interneuron identity by regulating the expression of glutamate receptor subunits and other neuron-specific genes, Developmental Biology 287: 74-85.

Ruvkun G., B. Wightman, and I. Ha, 2004, The 20 years it took to recognize the importance of tiny RNAs, Cell 116: s93-s96.

Much, J. W ., D. J. Slade (’99), K. Klampert, G. Garriga and B. Wightman, 2000, The fax-1 nuclear hormone receptor regulates axon pathfinding and neurotransmitter expression, Development, 127: 703-712.

Wolf, F. W., M.-s. Hung, B. Wightman, J. Way and G. Garriga, 1998, vab-8 is a key regulator of posteriorly directed migrations in C. elegans and encodes a novel protein with kinesin motor similarity, Neuron, 20: 655-666.