I have broad interests in genetics, epigenetics, evolution, and medicine and have been fortunate over the years to be able to teach and work in these fields. At Brandeis, I am pursuing these diverse interests by focusing on teaching, writing, research, and undergraduate science education.

Teaching

At Brandeis, I teach several courses. In the fall, I teach Biology 60b - Evolution. The geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky said famously, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." Evolution is the unifying theory of biology. Of all of the biological disciplines, evolutionary biology is the most sweeping because it aims to explain almost everything about the living world — both the diversity of life and the similarities among all living things.

In the spring, I teach Biology 43b - Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy. In this class, I take a broad view of anatomy, emphasizing embryology and development, comparative anatomy, and the relationship between structure and function. We take time in this class to do many dissections, as the only way to really learn anatomy well is to follow vessels, look at organs, and remove connective tissue. I also use clinical cases in this course as a way to integrate different organ systems.

I am particularly excited about a new course, Biology 155a - Project Laboratory in Genetics and Genomics. This course gives undergraduates a chance to do an original, independent, laboratory-based research project in the context of a semester-long course. In addition, we take in this class to learn to read and write research papers. Currently, there are project labs focusing on DNA mutation and repair in bacteria and epigenetics in fruit flies.

I also teach a First Year Seminar on Darwin's On the Origin of Species, which gives students the opportunity to read and analyze one of the centrally important works in modern Western thought, and BISC 7a - The Biology and Culture of Deafness, which examines deafness from biological and sociocultural perspectives, as well as introduces students to American Sign Language.

Research

My research focuses on epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation. I am pursuing this work in the context of a project laboratory course and independent summer and semester research for undergraduate students.

Diploid organisms have two copies of each chromosome and gene. Interestingly, the presence of such homologues can exert unexpected and powerful effects on gene expression. In mammals, the presence of two X chromosomes leads to condensation and silencing of an entire X chromosome by X-inactivation. In plants, interactions between alleles can lead to heritable changes in gene expression in a process known as paramutation. In fungi, duplicated DNA sequences are not tolerated and undergo sequence changes. These processes and others, including genomic imprinting and transgene silencing, are often referred to as epigenetic, a remarkable class of regulatory processes that together speak to the profound influence of gene structure, chromatin packaging, and interactions in the nucleus on gene expression. While mechanistically distinct, these processes share a common feature: in each case, the presence of homologous nucleic acids leads to changes in gene expression.

I am interested in epigenetic phenomena and specifically the role of homology in the control of chromosome structure and gene expression. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster provides a useful window on these processes. Drosophila shows pairing of homologous chromosomes in somatic cells. Interestingly, the expression of some genes is sensitive to pairing, in that they show different expression patterns in the paired and unpaired states. Such pairing sensitivity in gene expression is known as a transvection effect. Transvection has been documented at many loci in Drosophila, and related processes have been described in many organisms, including fungi, plants, and mammals.

Current work in my laboratory focuses on transvection in Drosophila. We are conducting screens to identify genes involved in chromosome pairing and transvection, and characterizing mutations that affect these processes.

Writing

I also enjoy writing. I am participating in the writing of an introductory biology college-level textbook. This project has given me the chance to write about biology broadly, while considering how to make the material engaging and interesting to a wide range of students.

Teaching awards

• Letter of Commendation for Distinguished Teaching, Harvard Extension School, 2006.
• Letter of Commendation for Distinguished Teaching, Harvard Extension School, 2005.
• Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Biological Sciences 50, Harvard College, 2003-2004.
• Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Biological Sciences 57, Harvard College, 2003-2004.
• Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Biological Sciences 57, Harvard College, 2002-2003.

Selected Publications

S. A. Ou, E. Chang*, S. Lee*, K. So*, C.-t. Wu, and J. R. Morris. 2009. Effects of chromosomal rearrangements on transvection at the yellow gene of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 183: 483-496.

D. L. Perlman and J. R. Morris. 2007. What the IPCC Said: A Citizens' Guide to the IPCC Summary for Policymakers. Washington, D. C.: Island Press. http://www.islandpress.com/assets/library/37_whatipccsaidguide.pdf

J. R. Morris, T. Jehn, E. Pantages, C. Vaughan, T. Torello, M. Buchelli, D. Lohman, and R. Lue. 2005, revised 2007. A Student's Guide to Writing in the Life Sciences. Harvard University.

J. R. Morris, D. A. Petrov, A. M. Lee, and C.-t. Wu. 2004. Enhancer choice in cis and in trans in Drosophila melanogaster: role of the promoter. Genetics 167: 1739-1747.

C.-t. Wu and J. R. Morris. 2001. Genes, genetics, and epigenetics: a correspondence. Science 293: 1103-1105.

C. D. Kaplan, J. R. Morris, C.-t. Wu, and F. Winston. 2000. Spt5 and Spt6 are associated with active transcription and have characteristics of general elongation factors in Drosophila melanogaster. Genes & Dev. 14: 2623-2634.

C.-t. Wu and J. R. Morris. 1999. Transvection and other homology effects. Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 9: 237-246.

J. R. Morris, P. K. Geyer, and C.-t. Wu. 1999. Core promoter elements can regulate transcription on a separate chromosome in trans. Genes & Dev. 13: 253-258.

J. R. Morris, J.-l Chen, S. T. Filandrinos, R. C. Dunn, R. Fisk, P. K. Geyer, and C.-t. Wu. 1999. An analysis of transvection at the yellow locus of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 151: 633-651.

J. R. Morris, J.-l. Chen, P. K. Geyer, and C.-t. Wu. 1998. Two modes of transvection: enhancer action in trans and bypass of a chromatin insulator in cis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 95: 10740-10745.

* Brandeis undergraduate

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Last review: January 11, 2010