Chris Hittinger, Postdoctoral Fellow

Email:

cthittinger@genetics.wustl.edu

Personal Site:

http://www.genetics.wustl.edu/hittinger

Education:

Doctor of Philosophy (20 May 2007); University of Wisconsin-Madison; Genetics; The evolution of eukaryotic genetic regulatory networks; 15 March 2007 Defense; Madison, WI  53706.

Bachelor of Science summa cum laude (May 2001); Southeast Missouri State University; Biology (Cellular/Molecular Emphasis) and Chemistry Double-Major; Cape Girardeau, MO  63701.

Indiana Academic Honors Diploma (June 1997); Southport High School; Indianapolis, IN  46227.

Awards/Honors:

Postdoctoral:

• Helen Hay Whitney Fellow (July 2008); Helen Hay Whitney Foundation
• Genetics Fellow (2007 – present); Department of Genetics
• Postdoctoral Trainee (2007 – 2008); NIH-NRSA Institutional Training Grant in Genomic Science (5T32HG00045); Department of Genetics

Graduate:

• Schlimgen Award (2007); Laboratory of Genetics (top graduate)
• HHMI Predoctoral Fellowship in the Biological Sciences (2001 – 2006)
• Passing with Honors (2003); Ph.D. Preliminary Examination A; Laboratory of Genetics

Undergraduate:

• summa cum laude (2001)
• Provost’s Award (2001); College of Science and Mathematics (top graduate)
• Honors Scholar (2001)
• Deimund National Merit Scholar (2001)
• Senior Award (2001); Chemistry Department (top graduate)
• Phi Kappa Phi (inducted 2001)
• Governor’s Scholar (1997 – 2001)
• National Merit Scholar (1997 – 2001)
• Robert C. Byrd Scholar (1997 – 2001); US Department of Education (Indiana)
• Dean’s List (Fall 1997 – Spring 2001); College of Science and Mathematics
• NSF-REU Fellow (2000)
• Beta Beta Beta (inducted 2000)
• Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Achievement Award (1999); Chemistry Department (top student)

High School:

• Indiana Academic All-Star (top 40 graduates in state); Indiana Department of Education
• Valedictorian
• National Merit Finalist
• Departmental Award – Science (top graduate in department)
• Departmental Award – Mathematics (top graduate in department)
• Indiana Academic Honors Diploma
• National Honor Society (inducted 1996)

Current Project:

Publications:

Hittinger CT, Carroll SB. Evolution of an insect-specific GROUCHO interaction motif in the ENGRAILED selector protein. Evolution and Development. In press.

Hittinger CT, Carroll SB. 2007. Gene duplication and the adaptive evolution of a classic genetic switch. Nature 449 (7163): 677-681.

Tour E, Hittinger CT, McGinnis W. 2005. Evolutionarily conserved domains required for activation and repression functions of the Drosophila Ultrabithorax protein. Development 132 (23): 5271-5281.

Hittinger CT, Stern DL, Carroll SB. 2005. Pleiotropic functions of a conserved insect-specific Hox peptide motif. Development 132 (23): 5261-5270.

Hittinger CT, Rokas A, Carroll SB. 2004. Parallel inactivation of multiple GAL pathway genes and ecological diversification in yeasts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 101 (39): 14144-14149.

Palangat M, Hittinger CT, Landick R. 2004. Downstream DNA selectively affects a paused conformation of human RNA polymerase II. Journal of Molecular Biology 341 (2): 429-442.

King N, Hittinger CT, Carroll SB. 2003. Evolution of key cell signaling and adhesion protein families predates animal origins. Science 301 (5631): 361-363.

Guettler S, Jackson EN, Lucchese SA, Honaas L, Green A, Hittinger CT, Tian Y, Lilly WW, and Gathman AC. 2003. ESTs from the basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune grown on nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-limited media. Fungal Genetics and Biology 39 (2): 191-198.

Vigouroux Y, McMullen M, Hittinger CT, Houchins K, Schulz L, Kresovich S, Matsuoka Y, Doebley J. 2002. Identifying genes of agronomic importance in maize by screening microsatellites for evidence of selection during domestication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 99 (15): 9650-9655.

Reviews and Commentary:

Rokas A, Hittinger CT.  2007.  Galactose metabolism evolution:  the proof is in the eating.  Current Biology 17 (16):  R626-R628.