Sharon E. Bickel
Professor
Appointments
Professor of Biological Sciences
Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program
Area of Expertise
Genetics,
Cell Biology
Biography
Chromosome segregation errors in human oocytes are the leading cause of miscarriages and birth defects and their frequency increases dramatically as women age. Work in my laboratory is focused on defining the pathway of events necessary for chromosomes to ""do the right thing"" during meiosis and understanding the molecular events that cause reduced fidelity of meiotic chromosome segregation as oocytes age.
Education
B.A. Austin College
Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine
Publications
Meng Z, Norwitz NG, Bickel SE. 2025. Meiotic cohesion requires Sirt1 and preserving its activity in aging oocytes reduces missegregation. EMBO Rep. Nov 10. doi: 10.1038/s44319-025-00634-y. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41214367
Hilpert DC, Haseeb MA, Bickel SE. 2025. Basal autophagy during meiotic prophase I is required for accurate chromosome segregation in Drosophila oocytes and declines during oocyte aging. Mol Biol Cell. Sep 1;36(9):br22. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E25-05-0213. Epub 2025 Aug 6. PMID: 40768325
Haseeb MA, Weng KA, Bickel SE. 2024. Chromatin-associated cohesin turns over extensively and forms new cohesive linkages in Drosophila oocytes during meiotic prophase. Curr Biol. Jul 8;34(13):2868-2879.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.034. Epub 2024 Jun 12. PMID: 38870933
Haseeb MA, Bernys AC, Dickert EE, Bickel SE. 2024. An RNAi screen to identify proteins required for cohesion rejuvenation during meiotic prophase in Drosophila oocytes.G3 (Bethesda). 2024 Aug 7;14(8):jkae123. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae123. PMID: 38849129
Haseeb MA, Weng KA, Bickel SE. 2023. Chromatin-associated cohesin turns over extensively and forms new cohesive linkages during meiotic prophase. bioRxiv . 2023 Aug 18:2023.08.17.553729. doi: 10.1101/2023.08.17.553729.
Perkins AT, Greig MM, Sontakke AA, Peloquin AS, McPeek MA, Bickel SE. 2019. Increased levels of superoxide dismutase suppress meiotic segregation errors in aging oocytes. Chromosoma. 2019 Sep;128(3):215-222. doi: 10.1007/s00412-019-00702-y. Epub 2019 Apr 29. PMID: 31037468
Perkins, A.T. and Bickel, S.E. 2017. Using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) to Monitor the State of Arm Cohesion in Prometaphase and Metaphase I Drosophila Oocytes .J Vis Exp. Dec 6;(130). doi:10.3791/56802. PMID:29286418 Link to Video
Perkins, A.T., Das, T.M., Panzera, L.C. and Bickel, S.E. 2016. Oxidative stress in oocytes during midprophase induces premature loss of cohesion and chromosome segregation errors. PNAS: doi: 10.1073/pnas.1612047113.
Giauque, C.C. and Bickel, SE. 2016. Heterochromatin-Associated Proteins HP1a and Piwi Collaborate to Maintain the Association of Achiasmate Homologs in Drosophila Oocytes. Genetics.: May;203(1):173-89. doi: 10.1534/genetics.115.186460.
Weng, K.A., Jeffreys, C.A. and Bickel, S.E. 2014. Rejuvenation of meiotic cohesion in oocytes during prophase I is required for chiasma maintenance and accurate chromosome segregation. PLoS Genet.: Sep 11;10(9):
Subramanian, V.V. and Bickel, S.E. 2009. Heterochromatin-mediated association of achiasmate homologues declines with age when cohesion is compromised. Genetics.: 181:1207-1218.
Subramanian, V.V. and Bickel, S.E. 2008. Aging predisposes oocytes to meiotic nondisjunction when the cohesin subunit Smc1 is reduced. PLoS Genet.: Nov;4(11):e1000263. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000263.
Page, S.L., Khetani, R.S.,Lake, C.M., Nielsen, R.J., Jeffress J.K., Bickel, S.E., and Hawley, R.S. 2008. corona is required for higher-order assembly of transverse filaments into full-length synaptonemal complex in Drosophila oocytes . PLoS Genet.: 4(9): e1000194. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000194.
Gause, M., Webber, H., Misulovin, Z., Haller, G., Rollins, R.A., Eissenberg, J.C., Bickel, S.E. and Dorsett, D. 2008. Functional links between Drosophila Nipped-B and cohesin in somatic and meiotic cells. Chromosoma: 17:51-66
Khetani, R. and Bickel, S.E. 2007. Regulation of cohesion and chromosome core morphogenesis during pachytene in Drosophila oocytes. Journal of Cell Science: 120: 3123-3137.
Bickel, S E, "Aging (Not So) Gracefully," Nature Genetics: 37 (2005) 1303-1304.
Webber, H., Howard, L. and Bickel S.E. (2004) The cohesion protein ORD is required for homolog bias during meiotic recombination. Journal of Cell Biology: 164:819-829.
Balicky, E.M., Young, L., Orr-Weaver, T.L. and Bickel, S.E. (2004) A proposed role for the Polycomb Group protein dRING in meiotic sister-chromatid cohesion. Chromosoma: 112:231-239.
Jeffreys, C.A, Burrage, P.S, and Bickel, S.E. (2003) A model system for increased meiotic nondisjunction in older oocytes. Current Biology 13:498-503.
Balicky, E.M., Endres, M.W. Lai, C, and Bickel, S.E. (2002) Meiotic cohesion requires accumulation of ORD on chromosomes prior to condensation. Mol. Biol. Cell: 21:3890-3900.
Bickel, S.E., Orr-Weaver, T.L. and Balicky, E.M. (2002) The sister-chromatid cohesion protein ORD is required for chiasma maintenance in Drosophila oocytes. Current Biology: 12:925-929.
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