Research

I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Microbiology & Immunology.  I then accepted a job at DNA Plant Technology (nee Advanced Genetic Sciences), a biotech startup that specialized in plant genetic engineering.  My project there, Frostban™, resulted in the first release of a genetically modified organism into the environment and was designed to protect crops from bacteria that expressed an ice-nucleating protein, resulting in frost damage. The company was also known for being the first to discover RNA interference, as it was used as a tool to suppress pigment genes in petunia. 

 

I then joined Life Technologies (nee Applied Biosystems), where I developed genotyping assays for plants and animals.  One of my career highlights was in 1999, working on the Wolf Relocation Project team in Yellowstone National Park.   I designed DNA analysis assays to compare genetics to field observations by the wolf biologists.  As a Senior Staff Scientist, I was the Science Lead for the development of sequencing instruments (3130, 3730, 3500, 5500), which were a joint venture with Hitachi Hi-Technologies.   The 3730 instrument was used to sequence the first human genome in 2003.  Finally, I became a Senior Product Manager in the Human Identification group, which provides the tools necessary for forensic labs to perform DNA analysis.  My job was to oversee planning, forecasting, and production of all the instrumentation needed to perform DNA analysis in a forensic lab.

 

My responsibilities in the Dillin lab are Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, Lab & Equipment Maintenance, Mentoring & Career Advice.   In the lab I coordinate all of our Next Generation Sequencing projects and the Bioinformatics that follow the sequencing.

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Publications

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Zhang,H.*, Tsui, K.*, Castillo, J.G., Kim, E.J.,  Evangelista, A., Liu, H., Joe, L.K., Twells, N., Robey E. A., Mahal, L.K., Dupage, M., Dillin A. 

Age-related remodeling of the sialoglycans dampens murine CD8+ T cell function.

Science Advances, September 2025.   PMID:   41004592

 

Murley, A., Popovici, A., Liu, S., Lund, A., Wickham, K., Durieux, J., Joe, L., Koronyo, E., and Dillin, A.

Quiescence cell re-entry is limited by macroautophagy-induced lysosomal damage

Cell, May 2025.   PMID: 40203825

 

Pender CL, Dishart JG, Gildea HK, Nauta KM, Page EM, Siddiqi TF, Cheung SS, Joe L, Burton NO, Dillin A.

Perception of a pathogenic signature initiates intergenerational protection.

Cell, February 2025.   PMID:   39721586

 

Shen K, Durieux J, Mena CG, Webster BM, Tsui KC, Zhang H, Joe L, Berendzen K, Dillin A.
The Germline Coordinates Mitokine Signaling
Cell.   August 2024.  PMID:  8959891

 

Zhang, H., Tsui CK, Garcia, G., Joe, LK, Wu, H., Maruichi, A., Fan, W., Pandovski, S., Yoon, PH, Webster, BM, Durieux, J., Frankino, P., Higuchi-Sanabria, R., Dillin A.
The Extracellular Matrix Integrates Mitochondrial Homeostasis
Cell.  August 2024.   PMID:  38942015

 

Ward, C., Peng, L ., Yuen, S., Chang, M., Karapetyan, R., Nyangau, E., 1, Mohammed, H., Palacios, H., Ziari, N., Joe, L., Frakes, A., Dandan, M., Dillin, A., and Hellerstein, M.
ER Unfolded Protein Response in Liver In Vivo Is Characterized by Reduced, Not Increased, De Novo Lipogenesis and Cholesterol Synthesis Rates with Uptake of Fatty Acids from Adipose Tissue: Integrated Gene Expression, Translation Rates and Metabolic Fluxes
International Journal of Medical Sciences.  January 2022;   PMID:  35170180​​

Moehle, E.*, Higuchi-Sanabria, R.*, Tsui, K., Homentcovschi, S., Tharp, K., Zhang, H., Chi, H., Joe, L., de los Rios Rogers, M., Sahay, A., Kelet, N., Benitez, C., Bar-Ziv, R., Garcia, G., Shen, K., Frankino, P.,  Schinzel, R., Shalem, O., and Dillin A.
Cross-species screening platforms identify EPS-8 as a critical link for mitochondrial stress and actin stabilization
Science Advances.  October 2021; 7  PMID:  34714674​

Higuchi-Sanabria R, Durieux J, Kelet N, Homentcovschi S, de Los Rios Rogers M, Monshietehadi S, Garcia G, Dallarda S, Daniele JR, Ramachandran V, Sahay A, Tronnes SU, Joe L, and Dillin A.
Divergent Nodes of Non-autonomous UPR ER Signaling through Serotonergic and Dopaminergic Neurons
Cell Rep.  08 Dec 2020: 8;33(10). PMID: 33296657

 

Higuchi-Sanabria R, Shen K, Kelet N, Frankino PA, Durieux J, Bar-Ziv R, Sing CN, Garcia EJ, Homentcovschi S, Sanchez M, Wu R, Tronnes SU, Joe L, Webster B, Ahilon-Jeronimo A, Monshietehadi S, Dallarda S, Pender C, Pon LA, Zoncu R, Dillin A.
Lysosomal recycling of amino acids affects ER quality control.
Sci Adv.  26 June 2020: 6(26):eaaz9805.  PMID: 32637599

 

Daniele J, Higuchi-Sanabria R, Durieux J, Monshietehadi S, Ramachandran V, Tronnes S, Kelet N,  Sanchez M, Metcalf M, Garcia G, Frankino P, Benitez C, Zeng M, Esping S, Joe L, & Dillin A. 
A non-canonical UPRER promotes lipophagy to extend lifespan.   
Science Advances.  2020 Jan 1; (6) 1:1-9.  PMID:  31911951   

 

Schinzel RT, Higuchi-Sanabria R, Shalem O, Moehle EA, Webster BM, Joe L, Bar-Ziv R, Frankino PA, Durieux J, Pender C, Kelet N, Kumar SS, Savalia N, Chi H, Simic M, Nguyen NT, Dillin A. 

The Hyaluronidase, TMEM2, Promotes ER Homeostasis and Longevity Independent of the UPRER. 

Cell. 2019 Nov 27;179(6):1306-1318.  PMID:  31761535

 

Tian Y, Garcia G, Bian Q, Steffen KK, Joe L, Wolff S, Meyer BJ, Dillin A. Mitochondrial Stress Induces Chromatin Reorganization to Promote Longevity and UPRmt.  
Cell. 2016 May 165, 1–12.  PMID: 27133166

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Creel, S., Spong, G., Sands, J. L., Rotella, J., Zeigle, J., Joe, L., Murphy, K. M., Smith, D. 

Population size estimation in Yellowstone wolves with error-prone noninvasive microsatellite genotypes

Molecular Ecology.  2003.  V12 i7

 

Heckenberger M., Ziegle, J., Joe L., Hauser, J., Hutton, M, and Meichinger, A., Van Der Voort, J., Peleman, J., Bohn, M.,

Variation of DNA fingerprints among accessions within maize inbred lines and implications for identification of essentially derived varieties. I. Genetic and technical sources of variation in SSR data. 

Molecular Breeding 2002, 10(4):181-191

 

Romero-Severson, J., Smith, J.S.C., Ziegle, J., Hauser, J., Joe, L., Hookstra, G.

Pedigree analysis and haplotypePedigree analysis and haplotype sharing within diverse groups of Zea mays L.

Inbreds. 

Theoretical and Applied Genetics September 2001.  103:567–574

 

Bernardo, R., Romero-Severson, J., Ziegle, J., Hauser, J., Joe, L., Hookstra, G., Doerge, R.W.

Parental contribution and coefficient of coancestry among maize inbreds: pedigree, RFLP, and SSR data

Theor Appl Genet (2000) 100:552–556

 

Howie W., Lee K., Joe L., Baden C., McGugin C., Bedbrook J., and Dunsmuir, P. (1996)

Suppression of ACC synthase. Commercialization of ripening-impaired fresh market tomatoes

D. Grierson, G.W. Lycett and G.A Tucker (eds.), Mechanisms and applications of gene silencing.

Nottingham University Press, Nottingham, pp. 119–125.

 

Howie, W., Joe, L., Newbigin, E., Suslow, T., Dunsmuir, P.

Transgenic tobacco plants which express the chiA genefrom Serratia marcescens have enhanced tolerance to Rhizoctonia solani

Transgenic Research.  1994.  3, 90-98

 

Dunsmuir, P., Howie, W., Newbigin, E., Joe, L.

Resistance to Rhizoctonia Solani in Transgenic Tobaccz

1993. Advances in Molecular Genetics of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Vol. 2 (pp.567-571)

 

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