Robert E. Braun, Ph.D.

Senior Scientific Advisor to the President/CEO and Janeway Distinguished Chair and Professor of Mammalian Genetics

Conducts research to better understand the mechanisms that regulate germline stem cell fate.

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About Robert E. Braun, Ph.D.

Geneticists measure time in generations and celebrate immortality with reproductive success. My lab is driven by a passion to understand the cell biological basis of gamete (sperm and egg) development. We study how germline stem cells balance self-renewal with differentiation. Stem cell self-renewal at the expense of differentiation can cause germ cell tumors while differentiation at the expense of self-renewal can cause sterility. Our long-term goal is to understand the mechanisms that regulate germline stem cell fate. Other research interests include understanding the molecular function of the hormone testosterone in spermatogenesis. Our work has revealed that specialized tight junctions between Sertoli cells, which are integral to the blood/testis barrier, are regulated by testosterone. We are studying how germ cells pass through these tight junctions without compromising barrier function. We are also investigating molecular mechanisms of translational regulation—a major form of gene regulation in both male and female germ cells—during spermatogenesis. We use both forward and reverse genetics to identify the genes involved. Phenotypic analysis includes microscopy, biochemistry and cell physiology.

Education and experience

Education

1986-1990
Postdoctoral fellow
Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

1985
Ph.D., microbiology and molecular biology
Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Boston, MA

1977
B.A., biology, chemistry and mathematics
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

Experience

2012-
Professor & Vice President of Research
The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

2011-
Professor
Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Boston, MA

2008-
Adjunct Professor
University of Maine, Orono, ME

2007-
Affiliate Professor
Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

2007-2012
Professor, Chair of Research & Associate Director
The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

2006-2007
Professor
Department of Genome Sciences (formerly Department of Genetics), University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA

2001-2002
Visiting Scientist
The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

1996-2006
Associate Professor
Department of Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

1990-1995
Assistant Professor
Department of Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

1990
Visiting Scientist
Medical Research Council's National Institute for Medical Research, London, England

Grants, honors, and accomplishments

2011
Chair, Mammalian Gametogenesis and Early Embryogenesis, Gordon Conference

1992-1995
March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Scholar

1990
Burroughs Wellcome Fellowship

1985
Tufts University Charlton Award

Selected Publications

Highlighted Abstract

Geographic atrophy (GA), an untreatable advanced form of age-related macular degeneration, results from retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cell degeneration. Here we show that the microRNA (miRNA)-processing enzyme DICER1 is reduced in the RPE of humans with GA, and that conditional ablation of Dicer1, but not seven other miRNA-processing enzymes, induces RPE degeneration in mice. DICER1 knockdown induces accumulation of Alu RNA in human RPE cells and Alu-like B1 and B2 RNAs in mouse RPE. Alu RNA is increased in the RPE of humans with GA, and this pathogenic RNA induces human RPE cytotoxicity and RPE degeneration in mice. Antisense oligonucleotides targeting Alu/B1/B2 RNAs prevent DICER1 depletion-induced RPE degeneration despite global miRNA downregulation. DICER1 degrades Alu RNA, and this digested Alu RNA cannot induce RPE degeneration in mice. These findings reveal a miRNA-independent cell survival function for DICER1 involving retrotransposon transcript degradation, show that Alu RNA can directly cause human pathology, and identify new targets for a major cause of blindness.

View full list of publications

Research HighlightAugust 21, 2019
The long-term maintenance of sperm production in mammals
A research team led by Professor and Janeway Distinguished Chair Robert Braun, Ph.D., and Associate Research Scientist Manju Sharma, Ph.D., found a rare subpopulation of spermatogonial cells expressing a specific protein, EOMES, that appear to represent the elusive long-lived spermatogonial stem cells that support continued spermatogenesis.
Press ReleaseAugust 04, 2016
$28.3M federal grant to JAX for Knockout Mouse Project to reveal gene function
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will award a total of $28,305,235 to The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) over five years to fund phase 2 of the Knockout Mouse Production and Phenotyping Project (KOMP2).
Press ReleaseFebruary 24, 2016
The Jackson Laboratory receives $1.5M gift to create the Janeway Distinguished Chair
Robert Braun, one of the nation's leading reproductive biologists, has been appointed to the endowment established by JAX Trustee Weslie Janeway.
- Reproductive Biology
- Reproductive Disorders
Search MagazineOctober 01, 2012
Inside mammalian reproduction
Doctoral student Benjamin Smith teams up with Robert Braun, Ph.D., to discover specific precursor cell functions.

Research HighlightJune 28, 2017
What happens when you knock out a gene?
Precisely characterizing the resulting mouse strains is crucial for learning the functions and biological mechanisms of the genes.
- Genetic Tools
- Resource Development and Dissemination
Press ReleaseJune 07, 2016
JAX receives NIH award to train next generation of biologists
Alex Fine is one of eight predoctoral students who are receiving their Ph.D. training in mammalian genetics and genomic medicine in partnership with degree-granting programs at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Tufts University, and The University of Maine.
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics and Genomics
Press ReleaseAugust 12, 2013
mtMTI awards funding for Jackson Laboratory research in diabetic wound healing
The Maine Technology Institute has awarded The Jackson Laboratory a $25,000 grant to study a growth factor that could accelerate wound healing.
Search MagazineOctober 01, 2012
R&D frontiers
The Jackson Laboratory's research program into the earliest stages of life has a proud history and a bright future.