About Me
I am a scientist; I thrive on the process of discovery. I also enjoy engaging students of all levels in independent research and encouraging them to build skill in the practice of science. I am a teacher; I like the challenge of engineering an environment that promotes student learning in my courses. I am a mentor; I am fortunate to have the opportunity to help younger scientists reach their full potential. Finally, I am also passionate about serving my community. I am privileged to be trusted with fostering an environment for outstanding scholarship, teaching and service in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Educational and Professional Background
2018- Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State
2017-2023 Department Head, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State
2009-2018 Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State
2001-2009 Assistant Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State
1996-2000 University of Colorado, Boulder, Postdoctoral Fellow in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Mentor: Dr. Min Han (HHMI)
1989-1996 Harvard University, Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Mentor: Dr. Ulla Hansen. Studied mechanisms of gene regulatory proteins.
1985-1989 Anderson University, Anderson, IN, B.A., Biology major, Chemistry / Math minors, Summa cum laude
Program Affiliations
Research Interests
The overarching goal of the Hanna-Rose lab is to understand how specific perturbations to the vast cellular metabolic network disturb whole-animal physiological and behavioral outcomes.
- We focus on inborn errors of purine metabolism to probe how the loss of activity of specific enzymes that participate in synthesizing purines, results in muscle ataxia, behavioral deficits, and reproductive dysfunction.
- We also study how manipulation of the biosynthetic pathways for the synthesis of NAD+ result in specific sensory and developmental phenotypes.
Honors and Awards
2023 Eberly College of Science Distinguished Mentoring Award
2021 Fellow, ELATES@Drexel Leadership Academy
2018 Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching, PSU’s highest teaching award
2018 Dean’s Climate and Diversity Award, Eberly College of Science
2014 Excellence in Teaching Award, The National Society of Leadership & Success, PSU Chapter
2011 WISE Recognition Faculty Award, for helping women and girls excel in STEM fields
2007 C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching, Eberly College of Science
2004 Tershak Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Dept.
2002 Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Award, March of Dimes
1998 Postdoctoral Fellowship, American Cancer Society
Selected Publications
- Franklin LP, Patil RR, Fenton AR, RG, Hartmann, SR, Hanna-Rose W. The purine nucleotide cycle is important for coordination of muscle contractions during locomotion in C. elegans. submitted
- Moro CA, Sony SA, Franklin LP, Dong S, Peifer MM, Wittig KE, et al. (2023) Adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency affects neurobehavior via perturbations to tyramine signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Genet 19(9): e1010974. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010974
- Fenton AR, Janowitz HN, Franklin LP, Young RG, Moro CA, DeGennaro MV, McReynolds MR, Wang W, Hanna-Rose W. A Caenorhabditis elegans model of adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency reveals neuromuscular and reproductive phenotypes of distinct etiology. Mol Genet Metab. 2023 Aug 15;140(3):107686. doi: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2023.107686. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37607437.
- Reza RN, Serra ND, Detwiler AC, Hanna-Rose W, Crook M (2022) Noncanonical necrosis in 2 different cell types in a Caenorhabditis elegans NAD+ salvage pathway mutant. G3 (Bethesda). 2022 Apr 4;12(4):jkac033. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac033. PMID: 35143646
- Tecle E, Chhan CB, Franklin L, Underwood RS, Hanna-Rose W, Troemel ER. The purine nucleoside phosphorylase pnp-1 regulates epithelial cell resistance to infection in C. elegans. (2021) PLoS Pathog. Apr 20;17(4):e1009350. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009350. eCollection 2021 Apr.
- Crook M, Hanna-Rose W. Overactive EGF signaling promotes uv1 cell survival via increased phosphatidylcholine levels and suppression of SBP-1. MicroPubl Biol. (2020) Jun 29;2020:10.17912/micropub.biology.000266. doi: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000266.
- Sattar, S., Martinez, M.T., Ruiz, A.F., Wendy Hanna-Rose, and G.A. Thompson. “Nicotinamide Inhibits Aphid Fecundity and Impacts Survival.” Science Reports (2019). Science Reports. Dec 23;9(1):19709. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-55931-z.
- McReynolds, M R., W Wang, L M. Holleran, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "Uridine monophosphate synthetase enables eukaryotic de novo NAD+ biosynthesis from quinolinic acid." The Journal of Biological Chemistry. (2017). Accelerated Communication. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0021-9258
- Hester, J, Wendy Hanna-Rose, and F J. Diaz. "Zinc deficiency reduces fertility in C. elegans hermaphrodites and disrupts oogenesis and meiotic progression." Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology : CBP 191. (2016): 203-209. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 1532-0456
- Crook, M, A Upadhyay, L J. Ido, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "EGFR Cell Survival Signaling Requires Phosphatidylcholine Biosynthesis." G3 (Bethesda, Md.). (2016) doi: 10.1534/g3.116.034850.
- Ahmed, D, A Ozcelik, N Bojanala, N Nama, A Upadhyay, Y Chen, Wendy Hanna-Rose, and J Huang. "Rotational manipulation of single cells and organisms using acoustic waves." Nature Communications 7. (2016): 11085.
- Wang, W, M R. McReynolds, J F. Goncalves, M Shu, I Dhondt, B P. Braeckman, S E. Lange, K Kho, A C. Detwiler, M J. Pacella, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "Comparative Metabolomic Profiling Reveals That Dysregulated Glycolysis Stemming from Lack of Salvage NAD+ Biosynthesis Impairs Reproductive Development in Caenorhabditis elegans." The Journal of Biological Chemistry 290.43 (2015): 26163-79. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0021-9258
- Crook, M, M R. McReynolds, W. Wang, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "An NAD(+) biosynthetic pathway enzyme functions cell non-autonomously in C. elegans development." Developmental Dynamics: an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists 243.8 (2014): 965-76. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 1058-8388
- Zhou, K, M M. Rolls, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "A postmitotic function and distinct localization mechanism for centralspindlin at a stable intercellular bridge." Developmental Biology 376.1 (2013): 13-22. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0012-1606
- Ozcelik, A, N Nama, P H. Huang, M Kaynak, M R. McReynolds, Wendy Hanna-Rose, and J Huang. "Acoustofluidic Rotational Manipulation of Cells and Organisms Using Oscillating Solid Structures." Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) 12.37 (2016): 5120-5125. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 1613-6810
- Upadhyay, A, A Pisupati, T Jegla, M Crook, K J. Mickolajczyk, M Shorey, L E. Rohan, K A. Billings, M M. Rolls, W O. Hancock, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "Nicotinamide is an endogenous agonist for a C. elegans TRPV OSM-9 and OCR-4 channel." Nature Communications 7. (2016): 13135.
- Vrablik, T L., W Wang, A Upadhyay, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "Muscle type-specific responses to NAD+ salvage biosynthesis promote muscle function in Caenorhabditis elegans." Developmental Biology 349.2 (2011): 387-94. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0012-1606
- French, J B., Y Cen, T L. Vrablik, P Xu, E Allen, Wendy Hanna-Rose, and A A. Sauve. "Characterization of nicotinamidases: steady state kinetic parameters, classwide inhibition by nicotinaldehydes, and catalytic mechanism." Biochemistry 49.49 (2010): 10421-39. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0006-2960
- Zhou, K and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "Movers and shakers or anchored: Caenorhabditis elegans nuclei achieve it with KASH/SUN." Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists 239.5 (2010): 1352-64. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 1058-8388
- Estes, K A. and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "The anchor cell initiates dorsal lumen formation during C. elegans vulval tubulogenesis." Developmental Biology 328.2 (2009): 297-304. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0012-1606
- Zhou, K, M M. Rolls, D H. Hall, C J. Malone, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "A ZYG-12-dynein interaction at the nuclear envelope defines cytoskeletal architecture in the C. elegans gonad." The Journal of Cell Biology 186.2 (2009): 229-41. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0021-9525
- Minn, I L., M M. Rolls, Wendy Hanna-Rose, and C J. Malone. "SUN-1 and ZYG-12, mediators of centrosome-nucleus attachment, are a functional SUN/KASH pair in Caenorhabditis elegans." Molecular Biology of the Cell 20.21 (2009): 4586-95. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 1059-1524
- Vrablik, T L., L Huang, S E. Lange, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "Nicotinamidase modulation of NAD+ biosynthesis and nicotinamide levels separately affect reproductive development and cell survival in C. elegans." Development (Cambridge, England) 136.21 (2009): 3637-46. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0950-1991
- Johnson, Ronald, L Y. Liu, Wendy Hanna-Rose, and H M. Chamberlin. "The Caenorhabditis elegans heterochronic gene lin-14 coordinates temporal progression and maturation in the egg-laying system." Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists 238.2 (2009): 394-404. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 1058-8388
- Lyssenko, N N., Y Miteva, S Gilroy, Wendy Hanna-Rose, and R A. Schlegel. "An unexpectedly high degree of specialization and a widespread involvement in sterol metabolism among the C. elegans putative aminophospholipid translocases." BMC Developmental Biology 8. (2008): 96.
- Sun, H, B L. Nelms, S F. Sleiman, H M. Chamberlin, and Wendy Hanna-Rose. "Modulation of Caenorhabditis elegans transcription factor activity by HIM-8 and the related Zinc-Finger ZIM proteins." Genetics 177.2 (2007): 1221-6. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0016-6731
- Lyssenko, N N., Wendy Hanna-Rose, and R A. Schlegel. "Cognate putative nuclear localization signal effects strong nuclear localization of a GFP reporter and facilitates gene expression studies in Caenorhabditis elegans." BioTechniques 43.5 (2007): 596, 598, 560. ISBN/ISSN #/Case #/DOI #: 0736-6205