Nicholas Edward Baker

Nicholas received his BA in Natural Sciences (Zoology) from Cambridge University.

Education and Training

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UKPhD11/1986wingless, a gene required for segmentation in Drosophila
Cambridge University, Cambridge, UKBA06/1982Natural Sciences (Zoology)
Cell competition

Creating and maintaining a complex body plan involves cooperation and coordination between cells.  Sometimes, however, cells don’t cooperate, but instead compete and even kill one another. 

Baker (2020) Nat Rev Genet

What are the mechanisms and meaning of such cell competition? Does it represent counterproductive, selfish cell behavior, or is it productive, contributing to the fitness of the organism? Does cell competition occur in disease? Can cell competition be exploited to replace cells in regenerative medicine? We’ve found that cell competition recognizes and eliminates abnormal cells, such as aneuploid cells, on the basis of alterations in ribosomal protein gene dose, and abnormal ribosome assembly and function. We use genetic manipulations and genome-wide and single-cell molecular genetic approaches to explore the molecular mechanisms of cell competition in Drosophila and in mammalian cells and tissues, and its importance in the aging process and in diseases such as cancer.

Baker Lab Website

https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/bakerlab

Recent Publications

For complete publications see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/nicholas.baker.1/bibliography/40803749/public

2024

  • Reddy, V., Bhattacharya, A., and Baker, N.E. (2024) The Id protein Extramacrochaetae restrains the E-protein Daughterless to regulate Notch, Rap1, and Sevenless within the R7 equivalence group of the Drosophila eye. Biol Open, 13: bio060124.
  • Baker, N.E. (2024) Founding the Wnt gene family: how wingless was found to be a positional signal and oncogene homolog. Bioessays 46(2):e2300156.

2023

  • Kiparaki, M. and Baker, N.E. (2023)  Protocol for assessing translation in living imaginal discs by O-propargyl puromycin incorporation. STAR Protocols 4: 102653. 
  • Kiparaki, M. and Baker, N.E. (2023) Ribosomal protein mutations and cell competition: Autonomous and non-autonomous effects on a stress response. Genetics, 224:iyad080. 
  • Folgado-Marco, V., Ames, K., Chuen, J., Gritsman, K., and Baker, N.E. (2023) Haploinsufficiency of the essential gene RpS12 causes defects in erythropoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell maintenance. Elife 12: e69322. 

2022

  • Kumar, A., and Baker, N.E. (2022) The CRL4 E3 ligase mahjong/DCAF1 controls cell competition through the transcription factor Xrp1, independently of polarity genes. Development 149:dev200795.

  • Baker, N.E., and Montagna, C. (2022). Reducing the aneuploid cell burden: cell competition and the ribosome connection. Dis Models Mech 15:dmm049673. 
  • Kiparaki, M., Khan, C., Folgado Marco, V., Chuen, J., and Baker, N.E. (2022) The transcription factor Xrp1 orchestrates both reduced translation and cell competition upon defective ribosome assembly or function. Elife, 11: e71705.


2021

  • Ji, Z., Chuen, J., Kiparaki, M. and Baker, N.E. (2021) Cell competition removes segmental aneuploid cells from Drosophila imaginal disc-derived tissues based on ribosomal protein gene dose. Elife, 10:e61172.

  • Quiquand, M., Rimesso, G., Qiao, N., Suo, S., Zhou, C., Slattery, M., White, K.P., Han, J.J., and Baker, N.E. (2021) New regulators of Drosophila eye development identified from temporal transcriptome changes. Genetics, 217(4): iyab007.doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyab007.


2020

  • Blanco, J., Cooper, J.C., and Baker, N.E. (2020) Roles of C/EBP class bZip proteins in the growth and cell competition of Rp (“Minute”) mutants in Drosophila (2020). Elife, 9:e50535.

  • Baker, N.E. (2020) Emerging mechanisms of cell competition. Nat Rev Genetics 21; 683-697.