Astrid Engel
assistant professor

Department(s):
Epidemiology

Email:
aengel@tulane.edu

Research Interests:
Genetics

Professional Achievements:
Member of the Costa Rican Microbiologists and Clinical Chemists Professional Association, 1987 - present
Member of the American Society for Microbiology, 1990 - present
Member of the American Society of Human Genetics, 2006- present

Recipient of a Superior Graduate Student Fellowship, 1990-1994
9th Annual LSUMC Graduate School Research Day, Sigma Xi Society Award for best advanced student presentation, 1994
Recipient of a Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans (CAGNO) research grant, 1994-1995
Who's Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges, 1995
11th Annual Tulane Health Research Day, Sigma Xi Society Award for best presentation, 1999
Recipient of a Brown Foundation Superior Fellowship from the Tulane Cancer Center, 1999-2000

Educational Background:
PhD, Louisiana State University Medical Health Sciences Center, 1995
Licenciate, Microbiology and Clinical Chemistry, University of Costa Rica, San José, 1987

Publications:
Selected peer-reviewed publications
Roy-Engel, A.M., Carroll, M.L., El-Sawy, M., Salem, A-H., Garber, R. K., Nguyen, S.V., Batzer, M.A., and Deininger, P.L. (2002) Non-traditional Alu evolution and primate genomic diversity. J. Mol. Biol. 316:1033-1040.

West, N.C., Roy-Engel, A.M., Imataka, H., Sonenberg, N., and Deininger, P.L. (2002) Shared Protein Components of SINE RNPs. J. Mol. Biol. 321:423-432.

Roy-Engel, A.M., Salem, A-H., M., Oyeniran, O.O., Deininger, L., Hedges, D.J., Kilroy, G.E., Batzer, M.A. and Deininger, P.L. (2002) Active Alu element “A-tails”; size does matter. Genome Res. 12: 1333-1344.

Johanning, K., Alemán Stevenson, C., Oyeniran, O.O., Gozal, Y.M., Roy-Engel, A.M., Jurka, J., and Deininger, P.L. (2003) Potential for retroposition by old Alu subfamilies. J.Mol. Evol. 56:658-664.

Roy-Engel, A.M., El-Sawy, M., Farooq, L., Odom, G.L., Perepelitsa-Belancio, V., Bruch, H., Oyeniran, O.O., and Deininger, P.L. (2005) Human retroelements may introduce intragenic polyadenylation signals. Cytogenetic and Genome Res. 110:365-371.

Kale, S.P., Moore, L., Deininger, P.L., and Roy-Engel, A.M. (2005) Heavy metals stimulate human LINE-1 retrotransposition. Int.J.Env.Res. Public Health. 2: 84-90.

El-Sawy, M., Kale, S., Dugan, C., Nguyen, T.Q., Belancio, V., Bruch, H., Roy-Engel, A.M.*, and Deininger, P.L.* (2005) Nickel stimulates L1 retrotransposition through a post-transcriptional mechanism. J. Mol. Biol. 354:201-506.*equal senior authors.

Kale, S.P., Carmichael M.C., Harris, K., and Roy-Engel, A.M. (2006) The L1 retrotranspositional stimulation by particulate and soluble cadmium exposure is independent of the generation of DNA breaks. Int.J.Env.Res. Public Health. 3: 121-128.

Book chapters and reviews
Roy, A.M., Carroll, M.L., Kass, D.H., Nguyen, S.V., Salem, A-H., Batzer, M.A., and Deininger, P.L. (2000) Recently integrated human Alu repeats: finding needles in the haystack. In: Georgia Genetics Review I: Transposable elements & Evolution. McDonald, J.F. Ed. Kluwer Press.

Roy, A.M., and Deininger, P.L. (2002) Alu In: Encyclopedia of Molecular Medicine. Creighton, T. Ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 166-168.

Deininger, P.L. and Roy-Engel, A.M. (2001) Mobile elements in animal and plant genomes. In: Mobile DNA II. Craig, N.L., Craigie, R., Gellert, M., and Lambowitz, A. Eds ASM Press.

Roy-Engel, A.M., Batzer, M.A., and Deininger, P.L. (2001) Evolution of the human retrosequence: Alu In: Encyclopedia of the Human Genome. Nature Publishing Group Reference, Macmillan Publishers Limited.

Roy-Engel, A.M. and Batzer, M.A. (2002) Repetitive DNA sequences In: Genetics, R. Robinson Ed. Macmillan Reference USA , Farmington Hills, MI.

Roy-Engel, A.M. (2004) Dynamics of SINE amplification In: Recent Research Developments in Dynamical Genetics, volume one. Parisi, V., De Fonzo, V., Aluffi-Pentini, F. Eds Research Signpost.

Belancio V.P., Deininger P.L., Roy-Engel A.M. (2009) LINE dancing in the human genome: transposable elements and disease. Genome Med 1(10):97.

Personal Statement:
My main interest involves the study of retroelements and understanding their amplification mechanism and how they affect the human genome. Throughout evolution, the activity of mobile elements has had a major influence in the shaping of genomes. Currently, only the retroelements LINE-1 and the Alu SINE are active. These insertions in the genome have significantly contributed to genetic disease. The genetic instability caused by the insertional mutagenesis of mobile elements can be a contributing factor in carcinogenesis. Despite the mutagenic potential of mobile elements, studies concerning the mechanistic aspects of SINEs and retropseudogene amplification are in their initial stages. To be able to understand what modulates the activity of retroelements, our efforts concentrate in defining the factors involved in the retroposition mechanism of these elements. The long-term goal is to gain a fundamental understanding of how these components (both cellular and intrinsic to mobile elements) modulate the retroposition mechanism of retroelements and their contribution to human disease and genetic instability.

Contact Information:
Department of Epidemiology
1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite 405A
New Orleans, LA 70112
Telephone 504.988.6160
aengel@tulane.edu

Level of Instruction:
graduate