Stephen Bell

Stephen Bell

Uncas and Helen Whitaker Professor of Biology; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Stephen Bell probes the cellular machinery that replicates and maintains animal cell chromosomes.

617-253-2054

Phone

68-630

Office

spbell@mit.edu

Email

Lab Website
Elaine Aidonidis

Assistant

617-258-7116

Assistant Phone

Education 

PhD 1990, University of California, Berkeley

Research Summary

We focus on the events that occur at the starting points of chromosome duplication. These DNA sequences — called “origins of replication” — are found at multiple sites on each eukaryotic chromosome and direct the assembly of replisomes, which replicate the DNA on both sides of the origin. We study this assembly process to understand how chromosomes are replicated, and how these events are regulated during the cell cycle to ensure genome maintenance.

Awards

  • National Academy of Sciences, Member, 2017
  • National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology, 2009
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute, HHMI Investigator, 2000

Key Publications

  1. Mechanism and timing of Mcm2-7 ring closure during DNA replication origin licensing. Ticau, S, Friedman, LJ, Champasa, K, Corrêa, IR Jr, Gelles, J, Bell, SP. 2017. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 24, 309-315.
    doi: 10.1038/nsmb.3375PMID:28191892
  2. Single-molecule studies of origin licensing reveal mechanisms ensuring bidirectional helicase loading. Ticau, S, Friedman, LJ, Ivica, NA, Gelles, J, Bell, SP. 2015. Cell 161, 513-525.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.03.012PMID:25892223
  3. Eukaryotic origin-dependent DNA replication in vitro reveals sequential action of DDK and S-CDK kinases. Heller, RC, Kang, S, Lam, WM, Chen, S, Chan, CS, Bell, SP. 2011. Cell 146, 80-91.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.06.012PMID:21729781

Recent Publications

  1. Multiple kinases inhibit origin licensing and helicase activation to ensure reductive cell division during meiosis. Phizicky, DV, Berchowitz, LE, Bell, SP. 2018. Elife 7, .
    doi: 10.7554/eLife.33309PMID:29388912
  2. Replication origin-flanking roadblocks reveal origin-licensing dynamics and altered sequence dependence. Warner, MD, Azmi, IF, Kang, S, Zhao, Y, Bell, SP. 2017. J. Biol. Chem. 292, 21417-21430.
    doi: 10.1074/jbc.M117.815639PMID:29074622
  3. Nucleosomes influence multiple steps during replication initiation. Azmi, IF, Watanabe, S, Maloney, MF, Kang, S, Belsky, JA, MacAlpine, DM, Peterson, CL, Bell, SP. 2017. Elife 6, .
    doi: 10.7554/eLife.22512PMID:28322723
  4. Mcm10 regulates DNA replication elongation by stimulating the CMG replicative helicase. Lõoke, M, Maloney, MF, Bell, SP. 2017. Genes Dev. 31, 291-305.
    doi: 10.1101/gad.291336.116PMID:28270517
  5. Mechanism and timing of Mcm2-7 ring closure during DNA replication origin licensing. Ticau, S, Friedman, LJ, Champasa, K, Corrêa, IR Jr, Gelles, J, Bell, SP. 2017. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 24, 309-315.
    doi: 10.1038/nsmb.3375PMID:28191892
  6. Rethinking origin licensing. Bell, SP. 2017. Elife 6, .
    doi: 10.7554/eLife.24052PMID:28102819
  7. Chromosome Duplication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Bell, SP, Labib, K. 2016. Genetics 203, 1027-67.
    doi: 10.1534/genetics.115.186452PMID:27384026
  8. The dynamics of eukaryotic replication initiation: origin specificity, licensing, and firing at the single-molecule level. Duzdevich, D, Warner, MD, Ticau, S, Ivica, NA, Bell, SP, Greene, EC. 2015. Mol. Cell 58, 483-94.
    doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2015.03.017PMID:25921072
  9. Single-molecule studies of origin licensing reveal mechanisms ensuring bidirectional helicase loading. Ticau, S, Friedman, LJ, Ivica, NA, Gelles, J, Bell, SP. 2015. Cell 161, 513-525.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.03.012PMID:25892223
  10. DNA Replication. Terminating the replisome. Bell, SP. 2014. Science 346, 418-9.
    doi: 10.1126/science.1261245PMID:25342784
More Publications

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