Cristian Boboila, Ph.D.
Associate Research Scientist
Columbia University and the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute
Contact Information:
Jerome L. Greene Science Center
3227 Broadway, L08-27
New York, NY 10027
(857)-928-7733
cb2904@columbia.edu
Date of Birth: August 5, 1980
Birthplace: Craiova, Romania
Citizenship: United States, Romania
Education
2005-2011 Harvard University
Ph.D. in Immunology, Frederick Alt lab
Identification of a novel pathway for DNA break repair, Alternative End-Joining
2000-2004 Yale University
B.S. in Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, B.S. in Economics
Professional Experience
2011-Present Columbia University
Postdoctoral Fellow, Richard Axel lab
Imposition of value on olfactory representations
2004-2005 Harvard University
Research Technician, Shiv Pillai lab
Studies of B lymphocyte development and function
2001-2004 Yale University
Undergraduate Researcher, David Schatz lab
Investigation of the role of DNA end-processing enzymes in VDJ recombination
Publications
1. Wang PY*, Boboila C*, Chin M, Higashi-Howard A, Shamash P, Wu Z, Stein NP, Abbott LF, Axel R. Transient and Persistent Representations of Odor Value in Prefrontal Cortex. Neuron, doi10.1016/j.neuron.2020.07.033. * equal contribution
2. Liang Z, Kumar V, Le Bouteiller M, Zurita J, Kenrick J, Lin SG, Lou J, Hu J, Ye AY, Boboila C, Alt FW, Frock RL. Ku70 suppresses alternative end joining in G1-arrested progenitor B cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 May 25;118(21):e2103630118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2103630118.
3. Boboila C, Alt FW, Schwer B. Classical and alternative end-joining pathways for repair of lymphocyte-specific and general DNA double-strand breaks. Adv Immunol. 2012;116:1-49. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-394300-2.00001-6. Review.
4. Boboila C*, Oksenych V*, Gostissa M, Wang JH, Zha S, Zhang Y, Chai H, Lee CS, Jankovic M, Saez LM, Nussenzweig MC, McKinnon PJ, Alt FW, Schwer B*. Robust chromosomal DNA repair via alternative end-joining in the absence of X-ray repair cross-complementing protein 1 (XRCC1). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109(7):2473-8. * equal contribution
5. Wesemann DR, Magee JM, Boboila C, Calado DP, Gallagher MP, Portuguese AJ, Manis JP, Zhou X, Recher M, Rajewsky K, Notarangelo LD, Alt FW. Immature B Cells Preferentially Switch to IgE With Increased Direct Sm to Se Recombination. J Exp Med. 2011;208(13):2733-46.
6. Zha S, Guo C, Boboila C, Oksenych V, Cheng HW, Zhang Y, Wesemann DR, Yuen G, Patel H, Goff P, Alt FW. ATM damage response and XLF repair factor are functionally redundant in joining DNA break. Nature, 2011;469(7329):250-4.
7. Zhang Y, Gostissa M, Hildebrand DG, Becker MS, Boboila C, Chiarle R, Lewis S, Alt FW. The role of mechanistic factors in promoting chromosomal translocations found in lymphoid and other cancers. Adv Immunol. 2010;106:93-133.
8. Boboila C, Yan C, Wesemann DR, Jankovic M, Wang JH, Manis J, Nussenzweig A, Nussenzweig M, Alt FW. Alternative end-joining catalyzes class switch recombination in the absence of both Ku70 and DNA ligase 4. J Exp Med. 2010;207(2):417-27
9. Boboila C*, Jankovic M*, Yan CT*, Wang JH, Wesemann DR, Zhang T, Fazeli A, Feldman L, Nussenzweig A, Nussenzweig M, Alt FW. Alternative end-joining catalyzes robust IgH locus deletions and translocations in the combined absence of ligase 4 and Ku70. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010;107(7):3034-9. * equal contribution
10. Zhang T, Franklin A, Boboila C, McQuay A, Gallagher MP, Manis JP, Khamlichi AA, Alt FW. Downstream class switching leads to IgE antibody production by B lymphocytes lacking IgM switch regions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010;107(7):3040-5.
11. Zha S, Boboila C, Alt FW. Mre11: roles in DNA repair beyond homologous recombination. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2009;16(8):798-800.
12. Cariappa A, Takematsu H, Liu H, Diaz S, Haider K, Boboila C, Kalloo G, Connole M, Shi HN, Varki N, Varki A, Pillai S. B cell antigen receptor signal strength and peripheral B cell development are regulated by a 9-O-acetyl sialic acid esterase. J Exp Med. 2009;206(1):125-38.
13. Franco S, Murphy MM, Li G, Borjeson T, Boboila C, Alt FW. DNA-PKcs and Artemis function in the end-joining phase of immunoglobulin heavy chain class switch recombination. J Exp Med. 2008;205(3):557-64.
14. Yan CT, Boboila C, Souza EK, Franco S, Hickernell TR, Murphy M, Gumaste S, Geyer M, Zarrin AA, Manis JP, Rajewsky K, Alt FW. IgH class switching and translocations use a robust non-classical end-joining pathway. Nature. 2007;449(7161):478-82.
15. Cariappa A, Boboila C, Moran ST, Liu H, Shi HN, Pillai S. The recirculating B cell pool contains two functionally distinct, long-lived, posttransitional, follicular B cell populations. J Immunol. 2007;179(4):2270-81
16. Moran ST, Cariappa A, Liu H, Muir B, Sgroi D, Boboila C, Pillai S. Synergism between NF-kappa B1/p50 and Notch2 during the development of marginal zone B lymphocytes. J Immunol. 2007;179(1):195-200
17. Moran ST, Cariappa A, Liu H, Boboila C, Shi HN, Holland PM, Peschon JJ, Pillai S. Protein kinase C-associated kinase is not required for the development of peripheral B lymphocyte populations. Mol Immunol. 2006;43(10):1694-9.
18. Repasky J, Corbett E, Boboila C, Schatz DG. Mutational analysis of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated N-nucleotide addition in V(D)J recombination, J Immunol. 2004;172(9):5478-88.
Fellowships and Awards
2013 - 2016 Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
2010 Hauser Scholar Award for Outstanding Graduate Work, Harvard University
2009 Albert J. Ryan Foundation Award, Harvard University
2008 - 2011 Cancer Research Institute Predoctoral Training Grant
2008 Best Poster Presentation, Harvard Immune Disease Institute
2007 Best Poster Presentation, Harvard Immune Disease Institute
2000 - 2004 Tercentennial Scholarship, Yale University
1999 Bronze Medal, International Biology Olympiad, Uppsala, Sweden
Second Prize, Romanian National Biology Olympiad
1998 Third Prize Romanian National Biology Olympiad
Invited Seminars and Posters
2021 HHMI Science Meeting, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, virtual (poster, short talk)
2019 Assembly and Function of Neuronal Circuits, Ascona, Switzerland (talk)
2018 Society for Neuroscience, Nanosymposium, San Diego, CA (talk)
HHMI Science Meeting, Janelia Campus, VA (poster)
Annual Canadian Neuroscience Conference, Vancouver, Canada (poster)
CSHL Brain and Behavior Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor, NY (poster)
Research in Encoding and Decoding of Neural Ensembles, Areadne, Greece (poster)
2017 CSHL Asia Francis Crick Symposium, Suzhou, China (talk)
2015 Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship Annual Meeting, Dedham, MA (talk)
2011 Harvard Immunology Program Graduate Student Recruitment, Boston, MA (talk)
2010 CSHL Gene Expression in the Immune System, Cold Spring Harbor, NY (poster)
18th International Cancer Immunotherapy Symposium, New York, NY (poster)
Harvard University Immunology Program Retreat, Boston, MA (talk)
2009 17th International Cancer Immunotherapy Symposium, New York, NY (poster)
Boston Romanian Biomedical Research Club, Boston, MA (talk)
Harvard University Immune Disease Institute, Boston, MA (talk)
2008 Harvard University Immune Disease Institute, Boston, MA (talk)
2007 FEBS International Immunology Summer School, Hvar, Croatia (poster)
Teaching Experience
2010 Lecturer, Introduction to Immunology, Harvard University
2009 Lecturer, Introduction to Immunology, Harvard University
2006 Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Immunology, Harvard University
Other Experience and Professional Activity
2019-Present Member, National Postdoctoral Association
2019-Present Preprint recommender, PCI Circuit Neuroscience
2011-Present Member, Society for Neuroscience
2009-Present Member, Romanian American Biomedical Association
2007-Present Reviewer: Nature, Cell, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Molecular Cell, Nature Structural and Molecular Biology
2002-2004 Science writer, Yale Scientific Magazine
Mentoring
2021 - present Stella Wroblewski, Reed College ’21, Research Technician
2021 - present Siddhant Sanghi, Columbia University Undergraduate Student
2019 - 2021 Alexandra Howard, Bates College ‘19, Research Technician
2018 Jane Yijing Chen, Columbia University PhD Program, Rotation Student
2017 - 2019 Nicole P. Stein, Barnard College ‘19, Research Technician
Subsequently enrolled in the DO program at Touro College of Ostheopatic Medicine
2016 - 2017 Kristen Lawlor, University of Maryland ‘14, Research Technician
Subsequently enrolled in the PhD program at Columbia University
2015 - 2017 Philip Shamash, UCLA ‘15, Research Technician
Subsequently enrolled in the PhD program at University College of London
2014 Eliza Grigoriciuc, Cluj Medical School ‘18, Romania, Summer Student
Subsequently enrolled in the Residency program at UMass Medical School
2013 Joshua Neuhaus, St Paul’s School, London ’14, Summer Student
Subsequently enrolled in the undergraduate program at Duke University
2012 Jonathan Kasdin, The Dalton School ’13, Summer Student
Subsequently enrolled in the undergraduate program at Duke University
2010 Grace J Yuen, Harvard University PhD Program, Rotation Student
2010 Liz Albertorio Saez, U of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez ’12, NIH STEP-UP Program Summer Student
Subsequently enrolled in the graduate program at University of Rochester
References
Richard Axel, MD
Columbia University and Zuckerman Institute
Jerome L. Greene Science Center
3227 Broadway, L08
New York, NY 10027
Ra27@columbia.edu
(212) 749-8162
Larry Abbott, PhD
William Bloor Professor of Theoretical Neuroscience
Columbia University and Zuckerman Institute
Jerome L. Greene Science Center
3227 Broadway, L5-075
New York, NY 10027
lfa2103@columbia.edu
(212)-853-1065
Frederick Alt, PhD
Director, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Charles A. Janeway Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard University and the Children’s Hospital Boston
Karp Building, 9th floor
Boston, MA 02115
alt@enders.tch.harvard.edu
617-919-2539