Michael Blower | Profiles RNS

Michael Blower, PhD

Professor

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biochemistry & Cell Biology

PhD, University of California, San Diego
BA, Miami University

Websites

	Biochemistry & Cell Biology
	Google Scholar
	ResearchGate

ORCID : 0000-0002-5037-1972

Mike Blower is a Professor of Cell Biology and Biochemistry at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine at Boston University.

Mike received his B.A. from Miami University (Ohio), his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego under the mentorship of Gary Karpen. He was a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley with Rebecca Heald and Karsten Weis. Following his postdoctoral training he was an Assistant and Associate Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School while managing a research lab in the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is the recipient of a Burroughs-Wellcome Fund career Award in the Biomedical Sciences and many different grants from the NIH.

Mike’s current work focuses on the interaction of RNA with chromatin and how these interactions influence chromatin structure and gene expression. Additionally his lab studies the regulation of chromatin:RNA interactions throughout the cell cycle. His lab uses a multidisciplinary approach that integrates, cell biology, in vitro reconstitution, genomics and bioinformatics, and CRISPR genome engineering.

BU Research
NIH RePORTER Research

Analysis of chromatin-RNA interactions during the cell cycle
03/16/2022 - 12/31/2025 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
5R01GM144352-04

Transcriptome regulation during mitosis
07/01/2020 - 02/29/2024 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
5R01GM122893-07

Title

Yr	Title	Project-Sub Proj	Pubs
2025	Analysis of chromatin-RNA interactions during the cell cycle.	5R01GM144352-04
2024	Analysis of chromatin-RNA interactions during the cell cycle.	5R01GM144352-03
2023	Analysis of chromatin-RNA interactions during the cell cycle.	5R01GM144352-02
2023	Transcriptome regulation during mitosis	5R01GM122893-07
2022	Analysis of chromatin-RNA interactions during the cell cycle.	1R01GM144352-01
2022	Transcriptome regulation during mitosis	5R01GM122893-06
2021	Transcriptome regulation during mitosis	5R01GM122893-05	1
2020	Transcriptome regulation during mitosis	2R01GM122893-03	1
2020	Transcriptome regulation during mitosis	7R01GM122893-04	1
2018	Transcriptome regulation during mitosis	5R01GM122893-02	1

Showing 10 of 20 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

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Watanabe R, Perea-Resa C, Blower MD. Robust CENP-A incorporation in human cells is independent of transcription and cohesin components. Mol Biol Cell. 2025 Nov 01; 36(11):br30.View Related Profiles.

Perea-Resa, Carlos
Blower, Michael

PMID: 40961235

Nakos K, Wijeratne S, Blower M, Subramanian R. A minimum module for positioning the Chromosomal Passenger Complex at the cell center for cytokinesis. bioRxiv. 2025 Sep 02. PMID: 40950017; PMCID: PMC12424632; DOI: 10.1101/2025.09.02.673761;

Sharp JA, Sparago E, Thomas R, Alimenti K, Wang W, Blower MD. Role of the SAF-A/HNRNPU SAP domain in X chromosome inactivation, nuclear dynamics, transcription, splicing, and cell proliferation. PLoS Genet. 2025 Jun; 21(6):e1011719. PMID: 40493679; PMCID: PMC12176297; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011719;

Watanabe R, Perea-Resa C, Blower MD. Robust CENP-A incorporation in human cells is independent of transcription and cohesin components. bioRxiv. 2025 May 01.View Related Profiles.

Perea-Resa, Carlos
Blower, Michael

PMID: 40654925; PMCID: PMC12247887; DOI: 10.1101/2025.04.29.651290;

Sharp JA, Sparago E, Thomas R, Alimenti K, Wang W, Blower MD. Role of the SAF-A SAP domain in X inactivation, transcription, splicing, and cell proliferation. bioRxiv. 2024 Sep 10. PMID: 39314300; PMCID: PMC11419091; DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.09.612041;

Park S, Dahn R, Kurt E, Presle A, VanDenHeuvel K, Moravec C, Jambhekar A, Olukoga O, Shepherd J, Echard A, Blower M, Skop AR. The mammalian midbody and midbody remnant are assembly sites for RNA and localized translation. Dev Cell. 2023 Oct 09; 58(19):1917-1932.e6. PMID: 37552987; PMCID: PMC10592306; DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.07.009;

Blower MD, Wang W, Sharp JA. Differential nuclear import regulates nuclear RNA inheritance following mitosis. Mol Biol Cell. 2023 Apr 01; 34(4):ar32. PMID: 36790906; PMCID: PMC10092649; DOI: 10.1091/mbc.E23-01-0004;

Perea-Resa C, Wattendorf L, Marzouk S, Blower MD. Cohesin: behind dynamic genome topology and gene expression reprogramming. Trends Cell Biol. 2021 09; 31(9):760-773.View Related Profiles.

Perea-Resa, Carlos
Blower, Michael

PMID: 33766521; PMCID: PMC8364472; DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2021.03.005;

Hekman RM, Hume AJ, Goel RK, Abo KM, Huang J, Blum BC, Werder RB, Suder EL, Paul I, Phanse S, Youssef A, Alysandratos KD, Padhorny D, Ojha S, Mora-Martin A, Kretov D, Ash PEA, Verma M, Zhao J, Patten JJ, Villacorta-Martin C, Bolzan D, Perea-Resa C, Bullitt E, Hinds A, Tilston-Lunel A, Varelas X, Farhangmehr S, Braunschweig U, Kwan JH, McComb M, Basu A, Saeed M, Perissi V, Burks EJ, Layne MD, Connor JH, Davey R, Cheng JX, Wolozin BL, Blencowe BJ, Wuchty S, Lyons SM, Kozakov D, Cifuentes D, Blower M, Kotton DN, Wilson AA, Mühlberger E, Emili A. Actionable Cytopathogenic Host Responses of Human Alveolar Type 2 Cells to SARS-CoV-2. Mol Cell. 2021 Jan 07; 81(1):212.View Related Profiles. PMID: 33417854; PMCID: PMC7831449; DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.12.028;

Ardehali MB, Damle M, Perea-Resa C, Blower MD, Kingston RE. Elongin A associates with actively transcribed genes and modulates enhancer RNA levels with limited impact on transcription elongation rate in vivo. J Biol Chem. 2021 Jan-Jun; 296:100202.View Related Profiles.

Perea-Resa, Carlos
Blower, Michael

PMID: 33334895; PMCID: PMC7948453; DOI: 10.1074/jbc.RA120.015877;

Showing 10 of 44 results. Show More

Hekman RM, Hume AJ, Goel RK, Abo KM, Huang J, Blum BC, Werder RB, Suder EL, Paul I, Phanse S, Youssef A, Alysandratos KD, Padhorny D, Ojha S, Mora-Martin A, Kretov D, Ash PEA, Verma M, Zhao J, Patten JJ, Villacorta-Martin C, Bolzan D, Perea-Resa C, Bullitt E, Hinds A, Tilston-Lunel A, Varelas X, Farhangmehr S, Braunschweig U, Kwan JH, McComb M, Basu A, Saeed M, Perissi V, Burks EJ, Layne MD, Connor JH, Davey R, Cheng JX, Wolozin BL, Blencowe BJ, Wuchty S, Lyons SM, Kozakov D, Cifuentes D, Blower M, Kotton DN, Wilson AA, Mühlberger E, Emili A. Actionable Cytopathogenic Host Responses of Human Alveolar Type 2 Cells to SARS-CoV-2. Mol Cell. 2020 12 17; 80(6):1104-1122.e9.View Related Profiles. PMID: 33259812; PMCID: PMC7674017; DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.11.028;

Sharp JA, Perea-Resa C, Wang W, Blower MD. Cell division requires RNA eviction from condensing chromosomes. J Cell Biol. 2020 11 02; 219(11).View Related Profiles.

Perea-Resa, Carlos
Blower, Michael

PMID: 33053167; PMCID: PMC7549315; DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201910148;

Perea-Resa C, Bury L, Cheeseman IM, Blower MD. Cohesin Removal Reprograms Gene Expression upon Mitotic Entry. Mol Cell. 2020 04 02; 78(1):127-140.e7.View Related Profiles.

Perea-Resa, Carlos
Blower, Michael

PMID: 32035037; PMCID: PMC7178822; DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.01.023;

Yang F, Wang W, Cetinbas M, Sadreyev RI, Blower MD. Genome-wide analysis identifies cis-acting elements regulating mRNA polyadenylation and translation during vertebrate oocyte maturation. RNA. 2020 03; 26(3):324-344. PMID: 31896558; PMCID: PMC7025505; DOI: 10.1261/rna.073247.119;

Perea-Resa C, Blower MD. Centromere Biology: Transcription Goes on Stage. Mol Cell Biol. 2018 09 15; 38(18).View Related Profiles.

Perea-Resa, Carlos
Blower, Michael

PMID: 29941491; PMCID: PMC6113603; DOI: 10.1128/MCB.00263-18;

Emerman AB, Blower MD. The RNA-binding complex ESCRT-II in Xenopus laevis eggs recognizes purine-rich sequences through its subunit, Vps25. J Biol Chem. 2018 08 10; 293(32):12593-12605. PMID: 29903915; PMCID: PMC6093225; DOI: 10.1074/jbc.RA118.003718;

Perea-Resa C, Blower MD. Satellite Transcripts Locally Promote Centromere Formation. Dev Cell. 2017 08 07; 42(3):201-202.View Related Profiles.

Perea-Resa, Carlos
Blower, Michael

PMID: 28787584

Nadarajan S, Lambert TJ, Altendorfer E, Gao J, Blower MD, Waters JC, Colaiácovo MP. Polo-like kinase-dependent phosphorylation of the synaptonemal complex protein SYP-4 regulates double-strand break formation through a negative feedback loop. Elife. 2017 03 27; 6. PMID: 28346135; PMCID: PMC5423773; DOI: 10.7554/eLife.23437;

Toombs JA, Sytnikova YA, Chirn GW, Ang I, Lau NC, Blower MD. Xenopus Piwi proteins interact with a broad proportion of the oocyte transcriptome. RNA. 2017 Apr; 23(4):504-520.View Related Profiles.

Blower, Michael
Lau, Nelson

PMID: 28031481; PMCID: PMC5340914; DOI: 10.1261/rna.058859.116;

Blower MD. Centromeric Transcription Regulates Aurora-B Localization and Activation. Cell Rep. 2016 05 24; 15(8):1624-33. PMID: 27184843; PMCID: PMC4880503; DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.04.054;

Konopacki FA, Wong HH, Dwivedy A, Bellon A, Blower MD, Holt CE. ESCRT-II controls retinal axon growth by regulating DCC receptor levels and local protein synthesis. Open Biol. 2016 Apr; 6(4):150218. PMID: 27248654; PMCID: PMC4852451; DOI: 10.1098/rsob.150218;

Nadarajan S, Mohideen F, Tzur YB, Ferrandiz N, Crawley O, Montoya A, Faull P, Snijders AP, Cutillas PR, Jambhekar A, Blower MD, Martinez-Perez E, Harper JW, Colaiacovo MP. The MAP kinase pathway coordinates crossover designation with disassembly of synaptonemal complex proteins during meiosis. Elife. 2016 Feb 27; 5:e12039. PMID: 26920220; PMCID: PMC4805554; DOI: 10.7554/eLife.12039;

Emerman AB, Jambhekar A, Blower MD. Identification and Characterization of Mitotic Spindle-Localized Transcripts. Methods Mol Biol. 2016; 1413:303-24. PMID: 27193857

Schwarz DS, Blower MD. The endoplasmic reticulum: structure, function and response to cellular signaling. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2016 Jan; 73(1):79-94. PMID: 26433683; PMCID: PMC4700099; DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-2052-6;

Schweidenback CT, Emerman AB, Jambhekar A, Blower MD. Evidence for multiple, distinct ADAR-containing complexes in Xenopus laevis. RNA. 2015 Feb; 21(2):279-95. PMID: 25519486; PMCID: PMC4338354; DOI: 10.1261/rna.047787.114;

Schwarz DS, Blower MD. The calcium-dependent ribonuclease XendoU promotes ER network formation through local RNA degradation. J Cell Biol. 2014 Oct 13; 207(1):41-57. PMID: 25287301; PMCID: PMC4195833; DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201406037;

Jambhekar A, Emerman AB, Schweidenback CT, Blower MD. RNA stimulates Aurora B kinase activity during mitosis. PLoS One. 2014; 9(6):e100748. PMID: 24968351; PMCID: PMC4072698; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100748;

Kovács-Bogdán E, Sancak Y, Kamer KJ, Plovanich M, Jambhekar A, Huber RJ, Myre MA, Blower MD, Mootha VK. Reconstitution of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter in yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jun 17; 111(24):8985-90. PMID: 24889638; PMCID: PMC4066498; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1400514111;

Blower MD, Jambhekar A, Schwarz DS, Toombs JA. Combining different mRNA capture methods to analyze the transcriptome: analysis of the Xenopus laevis transcriptome. PLoS One. 2013; 8(10):e77700. PMID: 24143257; PMCID: PMC3797054; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077700;

Sharp JA, Blower MD. Production of Xenopus tropicalis egg extracts to identify microtubule-associated RNAs. J Vis Exp. 2013 Jun 27; (76). PMID: 23851481; PMCID: PMC3729184; DOI: 10.3791/50434;

Blower MD. Molecular insights into intracellular RNA localization. Int Rev Cell Mol Biol. 2013; 302:1-39. PMID: 23351709; PMCID: PMC3746326; DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-407699-0.00001-7;

Sharp JA, Plant JJ, Ohsumi TK, Borowsky M, Blower MD. Functional analysis of the microtubule-interacting transcriptome. Mol Biol Cell. 2011 Nov; 22(22):4312-23. PMID: 21937723; PMCID: PMC3216657; DOI: 10.1091/mbc.E11-07-0629;

Dai N, Rapley J, Angel M, Yanik MF, Blower MD, Avruch J. mTOR phosphorylates IMP2 to promote IGF2 mRNA translation by internal ribosomal entry. Genes Dev. 2011 Jun 01; 25(11):1159-72. PMID: 21576258; PMCID: PMC3110954; DOI: 10.1101/gad.2042311;

Robine N, Lau NC, Balla S, Jin Z, Okamura K, Kuramochi-Miyagawa S, Blower MD, Lai EC. A broadly conserved pathway generates 3'UTR-directed primary piRNAs. Curr Biol. 2009 Dec 29; 19(24):2066-76.View Related Profiles.

Blower, Michael
Lau, Nelson

PMID: 20022248; PMCID: PMC2812478; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.11.064;

Lau NC, Ohsumi T, Borowsky M, Kingston RE, Blower MD. Systematic and single cell analysis of Xenopus Piwi-interacting RNAs and Xiwi. EMBO J. 2009 Oct 07; 28(19):2945-58.View Related Profiles.

Blower, Michael
Lau, Nelson

PMID: 19713941; PMCID: PMC2760114; DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2009.237;

Blower MD, Feric E, Weis K, Heald R. Genome-wide analysis demonstrates conserved localization of messenger RNAs to mitotic microtubules. J Cell Biol. 2007 Dec 31; 179(7):1365-73. PMID: 18166649; PMCID: PMC2373496; DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200705163;

Brown KS, Blower MD, Maresca TJ, Grammer TC, Harland RM, Heald R. Xenopus tropicalis egg extracts provide insight into scaling of the mitotic spindle. J Cell Biol. 2007 Mar 12; 176(6):765-70. PMID: 17339377; PMCID: PMC2064050; DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200610043;

Blower MD, Daigle T, Kaufman T, Karpen GH. Drosophila CENP-A mutations cause a BubR1-dependent early mitotic delay without normal localization of kinetochore components. PLoS Genet. 2006 Jul; 2(7):e110. PMID: 16839185; PMCID: PMC1500813; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.0020110;

Heun P, Erhardt S, Blower MD, Weiss S, Skora AD, Karpen GH. Mislocalization of the Drosophila centromere-specific histone CID promotes formation of functional ectopic kinetochores. Dev Cell. 2006 Mar; 10(3):303-15. PMID: 16516834; PMCID: PMC3192491; DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2006.01.014;

Blower MD, Nachury M, Heald R, Weis K. A Rae1-containing ribonucleoprotein complex is required for mitotic spindle assembly. Cell. 2005 Apr 22; 121(2):223-34. PMID: 15851029

Fyodorov DV, Blower MD, Karpen GH, Kadonaga JT. Acf1 confers unique activities to ACF/CHRAC and promotes the formation rather than disruption of chromatin in vivo. Genes Dev. 2004 Jan 15; 18(2):170-83. PMID: 14752009

Blower MD, Sullivan BA, Karpen GH. Conserved organization of centromeric chromatin in flies and humans. Dev Cell. 2002 Mar; 2(3):319-30. PMID: 11879637

Sullivan BA, Blower MD, Karpen GH. Determining centromere identity: cyclical stories and forking paths. Nat Rev Genet. 2001 Aug; 2(8):584-96. PMID: 11483983

Blower MD, Karpen GH. The role of Drosophila CID in kinetochore formation, cell-cycle progression and heterochromatin interactions. Nat Cell Biol. 2001 Aug; 3(8):730-9. PMID: 11483958

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 44 publications over 19 distinct years, with a maximum of 5 publications in 2016 and 2020

Bar chart showing 44 publications over 19 distinct years, with a maximum of 5 publications in 2016 and 2020

Year	Publications
2001	2
2002	1
2004	1
2005	1
2006	2
2007	2
2009	2
2011	2
2013	3
2014	4
2015	1
2016	5
2017	2
2018	2
2020	5
2021	2
2023	2
2024	1
2025	4

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617.358.4280

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