John H. White
Professor
Departments of Physiology and Medicine
McGill University
Canada
Biography
Dr. White, who obtained his Ph.D. in 1987 from Harvard, is a molecular biologist and molecular geneticist who has made numerous broad-ranging contributions to the fields of gene regulation and vitamin D physiology. His work on the molecular mechanisms of vitamin D action opened up the field of study of vitamin D as an inducer of antimicrobial innate immunity in humans, and has provided fundamental insights into its potential role as a cancer chemopreventive agent.
Research Interest
Much of the lab's research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of action of the vitamin D receptor with a focus on its function in regulating innate immunity and its role in cancer chemoprevention. We are studying macrophage transcriptional response to infection by M. tuberculosis, the etiological agent of TB, and the role of vitamin D signaling in regulating that response. We are also exploring the molecular mechanisms by which vitamin D signaling through the VDR arrests cancer cell proliferation. In addition, we are collaborating with Dr. Jim Gleason (Chemistry) on the development of bifunctional vitamin D analogues as cancer therapeutics.
Publications
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Verway, M., Bouttier, M., Wang, T.T., Carrier, M., Calderon, M., An, B.-S., Devemy, E., McIntosh, F., Divangahi, M., Behr, M.A. and White, J.H. (2013) Vitamin D induces interleukin-1beta expression: Paracrine macrophage-epithelial signaling controls M. tuberculosis infection. PLoS Pathogens 9(6): e1003407. doi:10.1371.
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Verway, M., Bouttier, M., Wang, T.T., Carrier, M., Calderon, M., An, B.-S., Devemy, E., McIntosh, F., Divangahi, M., Behr, M.A. and White, J.H. (2013) Vitamin D induces interleukin-1beta expression: Paracrine macrophage-epithelial signaling controls M. tuberculosis infection. PLoS Pathogens 9(6): e1003407. doi:10.1371.
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White JH. Vitamin D and human health: more than just bone. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2013 Oct;9(10):623.
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Calderon MR, Verway M, Benslama RO, Birlea M, Bouttier M, Dimitrov V, Mader S, White JH. Ligand-dependent corepressor contributes to transcriptional repression by C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor ZBRK1 through association with KRAB-associated protein-1. Nucleic Acids Res. 2014;42(11):7012-27.
