Christine Byrum
Associate Professor
Education
Ph.D. - University of Texas, Austin, TX
M.S. - Clemson University, Clemson, SC
B.S. - College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
Research Interests
Many of my projects have related to cell fate specification, particularly to learning more about the importance of Wnt signaling in endomesoderm specification or learning more about how nuclear transport proteins impact cell differentiation by regulating access of transcription factors to the nucleus using the sea urchin as a model system. I also lead undergraduate discovery-based research courses as a member of the HHMI SEA-PHAGES program. In these courses, my students isolate bacteriophages, extract the viral DNA, and, after sequencing, annotate the genomes of these viruses.
Courses Taught
BIO 305: Genetics
BIO 312L: Molecular Biology Lab
BIO 437/537: Biology of Invertebrates
BIO 423/523: Introduction to Genomics
Selected Publications
Byrum CA, VA Delesalle, CL Gold, DJ Bennett, BC Fox, BM Houston, HE Koller, PG Russell, P Sreekumar, BR Teasley, E Vandoros, AM Zimmerman, MS DiBenedetto, & CA Korey. 2022. Complete genome sequence of Finnry, a subcluster L3 mycobacteriophage from Charleston, South Carolina. Microbiol Resour Announc, 11(9): e0063622. doi.org/10.1128/mra.00636-22.Flota MF, VA Delesalle, CR Moss, DS Beeson, AM Bogatkevich, CC Burgess, N Carretero Lazcano, JA Carroll-Deaton, HA Deprill, IS Dickens, MD Gainey, SG Gierszal, AA Goff, BK Harris, JB LeBrun, J Lin, MR McLaughlin, BC Metts, KL O’Rear, MA Osorio Hernandez, IE Raieta, ED Schmidt, TD Sinkway, KS Sok, MA Ulrich, IT Velez, JR Wallen, AR Wardius, & CA Byrum. 2022. Isolation and annotation of the genome sequences of bacteriophages InvictusManeo (Cluster K5) and Netyap (Cluster L2). Microbiol Resour Announc. 11(6): e0016022. doi.org/10.1128/mra.00160-22.
Hanauer DI, MJ Graham, RJ Arnold, MA Ayuk, MF Balish, AR Beyer, KA Butela, CA Byrum, et al. 2022. Instructional models for course-based research experience (CRE) teaching. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 21(1): ar8. doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-03-0057.
Flota MF, CR Moss, MF Balish, N Chen, KC Cherry, K Cornely, HM D’Alessandro, MS DiBenedetto, JA DeGiorgis, SG Dixon, EG Dombrowski, MK Edwards, JC Eskew-Martin, IEP Finnegan, AG Hanna, SE Hunter, SL Johnson, VAL Kenan, C Kendrick, LC Licaj, VC Maldonado, MG Mazzei, GE Mitrick, BLJ Nelson, JS Patel, AI Parry, KM Smekrud, KK Snyder, JA Stewart, FK Swiger, MK Thomas, JC Waters, & CA Byrum. 2021. Evaluation of genome sequences of the bacteriophages JeTaime and Luna22. Microbiol Resour Announc. 10(40): e007460-21. doi.org/10.1128/MRA.00746-21.
Davis ME, VA Delesalle, KD Blankenship, JT Good, CM Kroenke, GM Kuba, SP Sweeney, & CA Byrum. 2020. Genome sequences of the mycobacteriophages Awesomesauce and LastJedi. Microbiol Resour Announc, 9(34): e00707-20. doi.org/10.1128/MRA.00707-20.
Romano L, CA Byrum, PY Lee, & R Morris. 2019. Exploring the sea urchin genome with undergraduates using bioinformatic tools. Methods in Cell Biology 150: 449-469. doi:10.1016/bs.mcb.2018.11.014.
Byrum CA, JP Smith, MR Easterling, & MC Bridges. 2014. Restricted expression of karyopherin alpha mRNA in the sea urchin suggests a role in neurogenesis. Gene Expr Patterns, 16(1):51-60. doi.org/10.1016/j.gep.2014.06.005.
Byrum CA & AH Wikramanayake. 2013. Nuclearization of β‑catenin in ectodermal precursors confers organizer-like ability to induce endomesoderm and pattern a pluteus larva. EvoDevo, 4(1):31. doi.org/10.1186/2041-9139-4-31.
Hendricks WD, CA Byrum, & E Meyer-Bernstein. 2012. Characterization of circadian behavior in the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis. PLoS One, 7(10): e46843. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0046843.
Byrum CA, R Xu, JM Bince, DR McClay, & AH Wikramanayake. 2009. Blocking Dishevelled signaling in the noncanonical Wnt pathway in sea urchins disrupts endoderm formation and spiculogenesis, but not secondary mesoderm formation. Developmental Dynamics, 238(7): 1649-1665. doi.org/10.1002/dvdy.21978.