Ramiz Somjee

Program: Computational and Systems Biology

Current advisor: Joseph C. Corbo, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: Rhodes College, 2020

Enrollment year: 2021

Research summary
Molecular mechanisms that maintain photoreceptor identity in the retina, focusing on how transcription factors, chromatin regulators, and intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDRs) regulate gene expression and cell fate

Photoreceptor cells are highly specialized neurons that enable vision by detecting and responding to light. My research seeks to understand how these cells establish and maintain their unique identities throughout life. I study the molecular mechanisms that regulate photoreceptor gene expression, with a particular focus on the interplay between transcription factors, chromatin regulators, and intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDRs), which often mediate dynamic regulatory interactions that are difficult to explain through classical protein structure-function relationships. Using genomic, genetic, and computational approaches, I investigate the role of the photoreceptor-specific regulator SAMD7 in maintaining photoreceptor identity and function. By understanding how photoreceptor cell states are established and maintained, this work aims to advance our understanding of retinal biology and provide a foundation for future therapeutic strategies for inherited retinal degeneration.

Graduate publications
Volkov LI, Ogawa Y, Somjee R, Vedder HE, Powell HE, Poria D, Meiselman S, Kefalov VJ, Corbo JC. 2024 Samd7 represses short-wavelength cone genes to preserve long-wavelength cone and rod photoreceptor identity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 121(47)::e2402121121. PMCID: PMC11588049