Jackson Laboratory

The Dumont Lab

Principal Investigator: Beth Dumont, Ph.D.

The Jackson Laboratory
Bar Harbor, ME

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Researching the mechanisms that generate genetic diversity through the lens of evolution

Our Research Focus

The broad objective of my research program is to understand the causes and consequences of variation in the cellular mechanisms that govern DNA inheritance: genetic recombination, chromosome segregation, and de novo mutation. To date, my work has combined wet-bench and computational approaches in multiple mammalian model systems to investigate variation in two recombination mechanisms, crossing-over and gene conversion. Over the next several years, my research group will work at the leading edge of genomics, evolutionary genetics, and cytogenetics to advance our understanding of recombination rate variation from diverse biological perspectives.

Full Scientific Report

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Open Positions

Job	Job Title	Location	Description

Lab Staff

Uma Arora

PhD Student

Investigating the composition and diversity of centromeric sequence amongst Mus musculus subspecies and autosomes vs sex chromosomes to understand their significance in evolution.
Laura Blanco-Berdugo, MS

Research Assistant II

Interested in genetic diversity and evolution of wild and wild-derived mice
Beth Dumont, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Brett Haines, B.S.

Research Assistant
Raman Akinyanju Lawal, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Unraveling the patterns of genetic mechanisms that give rise to genetic diversity in house mouse populations.
Glenn Smallidge

Research Administrative Assistant II

Provide Research Administrative Support for several faculty members.

Selected Publications

Highlighted Abstract

Knowledge of the rate and pattern of new mutation is critical to the understanding of human disease and evolution. We used extensive autozygosity in a genealogically well-defined population of Hutterites to estimate the human sequence mutation rate over multiple generations. We sequenced whole genomes from 5 parent-offspring trios and identified 44 segments of autozygosity. Using the number of meioses separating each pair of autozygous alleles and the 72 validated heterozygous single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) from 512 Mb of autozygous DNA, we obtained an SNV mutation rate of 1.20 × 10(-8) (95% confidence interval 0.89-1.43 × 10(-8)) mutations per base pair per generation. The mutation rate for bases within CpG dinucleotides (9.72 × 10(-8)) was 9.5-fold that of non-CpG bases, and there was strong evidence (P = 2.67 × 10(-4)) for a paternal bias in the origin of new mutations (85% paternal). We observed a non-uniform distribution of heterozygous SNVs (both newly identified and known) in the autozygous segments (P = 0.001), which is suggestive of mutational hotspots or sites of long-range gene conversion.

View full list of publications

Blog PostJune 30, 2020
Moving beyond amyloid to treat Alzheimer's disease
The repeated clinical trial failures of Alzheimer’s disease therapies based on clearing beta-amyloid have been discouraging, but new research strategies and capabilities are providing renewed hope.
Blog PostJune 22, 2020
How to address secondary findings from genomic testing
Consider this scenario: Jayne is 50 years old and has experienced progressing neurological symptoms over the past two years with no diagnosis. She recently had exome testing which show no genetic variants that explain her symptoms, but identifies a pathogenic variant (mutation) in MSH6.
Research HighlightJune 12, 2020
Using CRISPR technology to control RNA splicing
A research team led by Albert Cheng developed a new method, CASFx, that leverages CRISPR technology to alter messenger RNA splicing and precisely control protein isoform production.
Blog PostMay 04, 2020
Updates in BRCA testing for People of Ashkenazi Jewish Ancestry
The traditional approach to genetic testing for those of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry is under debate, with some experts calling for testing all Ashkenazi Jewish individuals and others advocating for further research to inform any changes in testing criteria.

Search MagazineJune 23, 2020
More genetic counselors are needed to realize the potential of precision medicine
The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health predicts that 60 million genomes will be sequenced worldwide by 2025.
- Precision medicine
- Genetics and Genomics
Press ReleaseJune 16, 2020
JAX donors contribute $100,000 to new COVID-19 models
A generous gift from Jackson Laboratory (JAX) donors will support the development of new humanized mouse models for beating COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has infected over 7 million worldwide, killing over 400,000 people.
Search MagazineJune 09, 2020
Perspective: On the front lines of COVID-19 testing
Rachel Goldfeder is a JAX computational scientist who has taken on the role of project manager for the JAX COVID-19 CLIA Lab testing team.
- Infectious Disease
- Computational Biology
Featured ArticleApril 16, 2020
Q&A: Modernizing genomics education
Meet Janet Belval, a South Windsor, Connecticut science teacher.