Academics
Karen E. Kirk
Associate Professor
Biology
Phone 847-735-6044
E-mail kirk@lakeforest.edu
Specialization
Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology
Cancer and the Molecular Mechanism of Telomere Maintenance in Microbes.
Interests
Infectious diseases, genetics, genome research (human genome project), and cancer
Education
Ph.D. Molecular Genetics, Rutgers University
B.S. Chemistry, University of Delaware
Courses Taught
Biology 221: Cell and Molecular Biology
Biology 352: Molecular Genetics
Biology 320: Microbiology
Biology 114: Emerging World Diseases
Biology 209: Biology and the Learning Process
Biology 483: Senior Seminar on Cancer and Aging
Articles
Kirk, K.E., Christ, C.*, McGuire, J.M.*, Paul, A.G.*, Vahedi, M.*, Stuart K.R. & Cole, E.S. (2008) Abnormal micronuclear telomeres lead to an unusual cell cycle checkpoint and defects in Tetrahymena oral morphogenesis. Eukaryotic Cell 7: 1712-723
Karen E. Kirk and Jonathan Weiland, (2006) Trekking Through The Human Genome: An Individualized Laboratory Project. American Biology Teacher Online 68: 124-130
McGuire, J.M.*, Gana, J.A., Petcherskaia, M.*, Kirk, K.E. (2003) Protein binding to expanded telomere repeats in Tetrahymena thermophila. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 50:341-348
Petcherskaia, M.*, McGuire, J.M.*, Pherson, J.M.*, Kirk, K.E. (2003) Loss of cap structure causes mitotic defect in Tetrahymena thermophila telomerase mutants. Chromosoma 111:429-437.
Jacob, N.K., Kirk, K.E., Price, C.M. (2003) Generation of telomeric G strand overhangs involves both G and C strand cleavage. Molecular Cell 11:1021-1032
Hargrove, B.W., Bhattacharyya, A., Domitrovich, A.M., Kapler G.M., Kirk, K., Shippen, D.E., Kunkel, G.R. (1999) Identification of an essential proximal sequence element in the promoter of the telomerase RNA gene of Tetrahymena thermophila. Nucleic Acids Research 27:4269-4275
Blackburn, E.H., Gilley, D., Ware, T., Bhattacharyya, A., Kirk, K.E., and Wang, H. (1999) "Studying the Telomerase RNA in Tetrahymena" in Tetrahymena Thermophila (Volume 62 of Methods in Cell Biology, ed. Asai, D.J. and Forney, J.D., Academic Press, San Diego, CA).
Kirk, K.E., Harmon, B.P., *Reichardt, I.K., Sedat, J., and Blackburn, E.H. (1997) Block in anaphase chromosome separation due to a telomerase template mutation. Science 275:1478-1481
Blackburn, E.H., Bhattacharyya, A., Gilley, D., Kirk, K.E., Krauskopf, A., Prescott, J.P., Strahl, C., and Ware, T. (1997) The telomere and telomerase: How do they interact? Telomeres and telomerase, Ciba Foundation Symposia (1997) 211:2-13
Kirk, K.E., and Blackburn, E.H. (1995) Unusual sequence arrangement in the telomeres of the germ-line micronucleus in Tetrahymena thermophila. Genes & Development 9:59-71
Kirk, K.E., and Morris, N.R. (1993) Either a-tubulin isogene product is sufficient for microtubule function during all stages of growth and differentiation in Aspergillus nidulans. Molecular and Cellular Biology 13:4465-4476
Kirk, K.E., and Morris, N.R. (1991) The tubB a-tubulin gene is essential for sexual development in Aspergillus nidulans. Genes and Development 5:2014-2023
Crane, M.S.J., Goggin, B., Pellegrino, R.M., Ravino, O.J., Lange, C., Karkhanis, Y.D., Kirk, K.E., Chakraborty, P.R. (1991) Cross-protection against four species of chicken coccidia with a single recombinant antigen. Infection and Immunity 59:1271-1277
Kirk-Mason, K.E., Turner, M.J., Chakraborty, P.R. (1989) Evidence for unusually short mRNA leaders and characterization of tubulin genes in Giardia lamblia. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 36: 87-99
Kirk-Mason, K.E., Turner, M.J., Chakraborty, P.R. (1988) Cloning and sequence of b-tubulin cDNA from Giardia lamblia. Nucleic Acids Research 16:2733
Tocci, M.J., Hutchinson, N.I., Cameron, P.M., Kirk, K.E., Norman, D., Chin, J., Rupp, E.A., Limjuco, G.A., Bonilla, V., Schmidt, J. (1987) Expression in E. coli of fully active recombinant human IL 1: comparison with native human IL 1. Journal of Immunology 138:1109-1114
Bhogal, B.S., Nollstadt, K., Kirk, K.E., Karkhanis, Y.D., Jacobson, E. (1987) Induction of antibody and cellular immune responses in chickens against Eimeria tenella by anti-idiotype. Avian Immunology, Alan R. Liss, Inc., N.Y., N.Y., pp307-320
Talks and Posters
Telomeres and Telomerase Meeting (April, 2009)
“Measuring the Exceptionally Short Telomeres of Aspergillus nidulans
Poster presented by undergraduate coauthor in Cold Spring Harbor, New York
American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting (December, 2008)
“Telomere Length in Meiotic Aspergillus nidulans”
Poster presented by undergraduate coauthor in San Francisco, CA
American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting (December, 2003)
“Micronuclear telomere loss and cell division arrest in telomerase mutants”
Poster presented by undergraduate coauthor in San Francisco, CA
FASEB Ciliate Molecular Biology Meeting (July, 2003)
“Massive telomere loss and cell division defects in telomerase mutants,” platform speaker
“Protein binding to expanded telomere repeats in Tetrahymena thermophila,” poster presentation by undergraduate coauthor
FASEB Summer Research Conference, Saxtons River, VT
Cold Spring Harbor Telomeres and Telomerase Meeting (April, 2003)
“Protein binding to expanded telomere repeats in Tetrahymena thermophila,” and “Cell cycle defects in T. thermophila telomerase mutants.”
Both posters presented by undergraduate coauthors at Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Midwest Protozoology Meeting (April, 2002)
“T. thermophila proteins bind differentially to telomere sequence variants in vitro”
Talk presented by undergraduate coauthor at Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL
“Length regulation and processing mechanisms at Tetrahymena telomeres,” coauthor of talk
“Analysis of cell division arrest in T. thermophila telomerase mutants,” poster coauthored and presented by undergraduate
DNA Replication Meeting (September, 2001)
“Regulation of G-overhang structure at Tetrahymena telomeres”
Co-author of platform presentation by Naduparambil J., Kirk, K., and Price, C.
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Midwest Protozoology Meeting (April, 2001) "Does phenotype severity of Tetrahymena telomerase template mutants correlate to protein binding affinity?" Platform speaker, University of Chicago, Chicago IL
Telomeres and Telomerase Meeting (March, 2001) "Does phenotype severity of Tetrahymena telomerase template mutants correlate to protein binding affinity?" Poster presented at Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Kalamazoo College (October, 2000) "Mutating telomeres and inducing senescence (in an unsuspecting microbe)" Biology Departmental Seminar, Kalamazoo, MI
Midwest Protozoology Meeting (April, 2000) "Phenotype of T. thermophila telomerase mutants," platform speaker and "Using mutations to explore developmental dependencies in Tetrahymena thermophila," Co-author of keynote talk with E. Cole, K. Stuart, T. Marsh, D. Romero, and K. Kirk, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Chicago Medical School (January, 2000) "Telomere mutants in Tetrahymena: An ageless Story" Molecular and Cellular Biology Departmental Seminar, North Chicago, IL
University of Illinois Chicago (November, 1999) "Telomere mutants in Tetrahymena: An ageless Story" Cellular and Developmental Biology Departmental Seminar, Chicago, IL
Ciliate Molecular Biology Meeting (August, 1999) "Micronuclear anaphase arrest in T. thermophila telomerase template mutants" FASEB Summer Research Conference, Saxtons River, VT
St. Olaf College (November, 1998) Biology Departmental Seminar, Northfield, MN
Ciliate Molecular Biology Meeting (July, 1997) FASEB Summer Research Conference, Copper Mountain, CO
Popular Work
Kirk, K.E. "From genes to traits," MacMillan Science Library encyclopedia set, Biology (2001).
Lake Forest Hospital (March, 2002) in conjunction with Lake Forest Public Library "The Human Genome Project"
Awards and Honors
National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Award, $94,000 (2001). Acquisition of Multi-Imaging System for Use at an Undergraduate Institution.
National Science Foundation CAREER Award, $500,000 for 5 years (1999). Telomere Dynamics in Research and Education.
William L. Dunn Award for Outstanding Teaching and Scholarly Promise (1999).
National Institutes of Health AREA Award, $75,000 (awarded 1999, but voluntarily declined)
March of Dimes Foundation Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Award, $100,000 (awarded 1999, but voluntarily declined)
National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Research Training Grant (1995-96)
American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (1992-95)
Merck Predoctoral Research Fellowship (1989-90)