Research Faculty

Frederick Alt, PhD

Department Medicine
Hospital Title Director, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine/Immune Disease Institute
Academic Title Charles A. Janeway Professor
of Pediatrics
Phone 617-919-2539
Fax 617-730-0948
Email Frederick Alt
Location 300 Longwood Avenue
Karp-9
Boston MA 02115

Research Overview

The broad focus of the Alt lab is the elucidation of mechanisms that maintain genomic stability in mammalian cells. More specifically, the lab studies V(D)J recombination in developing B and T lymphocytes and IgH heavy chain class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation in mature B lymphocytes.Studies of these processes employ biochemical approaches to elucidate molecular mechanisms by which the RAG endonuclease and Activation Induced Cytidine Deaminase function on DNA to initiate, respectively, VDJ recombination and CSR. As one example, our recent studies showed a role for the RNA exosome in targeting AID to both strands of duplex DNA. Other studies focus on the elucidation of genetic and epigenetic chromosomal processes that regulate how RAG and AID are targeted to their specific chromosomal DNA substrates. In this regard, our recent work defined a control region, termed IGCR1, in the IgH locus that regulates proximal versus distal VH usage, lineage-specificity, ordered assembly of VH, D, and JH segments and feedback regulation/allelic exclusion. Functionally, we showed IGCR1 to employ CTCF binding elements and to be involved in the formation of large IgH loops that contain distant enhancer elements.

Other studies employ genetic and cytogenetic approaches to study roles of general DNA double strand break (DSB) repair and response pathways in VDJ recombination and CSR, and the interplay of DSB repair and response pathways in suppressing genomic instability and cancer. For such studies, the lab developed several new models for B and T cell lymphomas and brain tumors.

A major new lab research area focuses on how organization of the genome in the nucleus influences programmed gene rearrangements and chromosomal translocations. For this purpose, we have developed a high throughput genomic translocation sequencing strategies to identify the universe of translocations (e.g., the translocatome) that arise from a fixed DSB. This approach is also useful for defining genomic DSBs. Our goal is to establish the contribution of mechanistic elements (three dimensional genome organization, DSBs, transcription, epigenetic modifications, repair pathways, etc.) that contribute to the formation of translocations in mouse and human cells. 

About Fred Alt

Dr. Alt received his Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University in 1977 with Robert Schimke and he did his postdoctoral work at MIT with David Baltimore. He was a Professor at Columbia University in New York City from 1982-1991, where he became an HHMI Investigator in 1987. In 1991, Dr. Alt moved to back to Boston as an HHMI Investigator at Children's Hospital Boston; a Professor of Genetics and Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and a Senior Investigator at the Immune Disease Institute. He was appointed Charles A. Janeway Professor of Pediatrics in 1993 and Scientific Director of the Immune Disease Institute in 2005. He became Director of the Immune Disease Institute and Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine of Children's Hospital in 2009 and President of the Immune Disease Institute in 2010.

Dr. Alt has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the European Molecular Biology Organization and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received the Clowes Memorial Award from the American Association of Cancer Research; the Rabbi Shai Shacknai Prize from The Hebrew University, the Pasarow Foundation Prize for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society de Villiers International Achievement Award, the Irvington Institute Immunology Award, the National Cancer Institute Alfred K. Knudson Award for pioneering contributions that have revolutionized the field of Cancer Genetics, the American Association of Immunologists AAI-Huang Meritorious Career Award, the William B. Coley Award from the Cancer Research Institute, and the Novartis Basic Immunology Prize for his discoveries on B cell development and antigen responses.

Dr. Alt has mentored over 100 students and research fellows, many of whom have become leaders in immunology, genetics, or cancer biology and has received the American Association of Immunologists Excellence in Mentoring Award. The Cancer Research Institute (New York) annually presents the Frederick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology.

Please see the electronic album of Alt Lab alumni, compiled by HHMI in 2010, entitled "Frederick W. Alt: A Supportive Mentor and Hard-Driving Scientist."

Honors and Awards

1973     Stephen J. Fox Memorial Award in Biological Sciences, Stanford University
1983     Irma T. Hirschl Career Scientist Award
1983     Searle Scholars Award
1984     Mallinckrodt Award
1991     NIH Merit Award
1994     Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1994     Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
1994     Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiologists
1999     Elected Foreign Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization
2003     American Association of Immunologists Excellence in Mentoring Award
2004     American Association of Cancer Research-G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award
2005     Irvington Institute Scientific Leadership Award in Immunology
2005     Rabbi Shai Shacknai Memorial Prize in Immunology and Cancer Research
2005     Leukemia and Lymphoma Society de Villiers International Achievement Award
2005     Pasarow Foundation Prize for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research
2005     Establishment of the Frederick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology (a yearly award given to others by the Irvington Institute)
2007     Alfred Knudson Award for pioneering contributions that have revolutionized the field of Cancer Genetics from the National Cancer Institute
2007     American Association of Immunologists AAI-Huang Meritorious Career Award
2007     Novartis Prize for Basic Immunology

Recent Publications

  • Gostissa, M., Ranganath, S., Bianco, J.M., and Alt, F.W. (2009) Chromosomal location targets different MYC family gene members for oncogenic translocations. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 2265-2270. Epub 2009 Jan 27,  PMC2650145
  • Wang, J.H., Gostissa, M., Yan, C.T., Goff, P., Hickernell, T., Hansen, E., Difilippantonio, S., Wesemann, D.R., Zarrin, A.A., Rajewsky, K., Nussenzweig, A. and Alt, F.W. (2009) Mechanisms promoting translocations in editing and switching peripheral B cells. Nature 460, 231-236. PMC2907259
  • Lee, Y.N., Alt, F.W., Reyes, J., Gleason, M., Zarrin, A.A. and Jung, D. (2009) Differential utilization of T cell receptor TCRa/TCRdlocus variable region gene segments is mediated by accessibility. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 106, 17487-17492. PMC2765100
  • Gostissa, M., Yan, C.T., Bianco, J.M., Cogné, M., Pinaud, E. and Alt, F.W. (2009) Long-range oncogenic activation of Igh-c-myc translocations by the Igh 3' regulatory region. Nature 462, 803-807. PMC2802177
  • Boboila, C., Yan, C., Wesemann, D.R., Jankovic, M., Wang, J.H., Manis, J., Nussenzweig, A., Nussenzweig, M. and Alt, F.W. (2010) Alternative end-joining catalyzes class switch recombination in the absence of both Ku70 and DNA ligase 4., J. Exp. Med.207, 417-427. Epub 2010 Feb 8, PMC2822597
  • Boboila, C., Jankovic, M., Yan, C.T., Wang, J.H., Wesemann, D.R., Zhang, T., Fazeli, A., Feldman, L., Nussenzweig, A., Nussenzweig, M. and Alt, F.W. (2010) Alternative end-joining catalyzes robust IgH locus deletions and translocations in the combined absence of ligase 4 and Ku70. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USA. 107, 3034-3039. Epub 2010 Jan 25,  PMC2840344
  • Zhang, T., Franklin, A., Boboila, C., McQuay, A., Gallagher, M.P., Manis, J.P., Khamlihi, A.A. and Alt, F.W. (2010) Downstream class switching leads to IgE antibody production by B lymphocytes lacking IgM switch regions. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USA. 107, 3040-3045. Epub 2010 Feb 1 PMC2840363
  • Zha, S., Bassing, C.H., Sanda, T., Brush, J.W., Patel, H., Goff, P.H., Murphy, M.M., Tepsuporn, S., Gatti, R.A., Look, A.T. and Alt, F.W. (2010) ATM-deficient thymic lymphoma is associated with aberrant tcrd rearrangement and gene amplification. J. Exp. Med.207, 1369-1380. Epub 2010 Jun 21, PMC2901073
  • Zhang, Y., Gostissa, M., Hildebrand, D.G., Becker, M.S., Boboila, C., Chiarle, R., Lewis, S. and Alt, F.W. (2010) The role of mechanistic factors in promoting chromosomal translocations found in lymphoid and other cancers. Advances in Immunology 106, 93-133.
  • Schwer, B., Schumacher, B., Lombard, D.B., Xiao, C., Kurtev, M.V., Gao, J., Schneider, J.I., Chai, H., Bronson, R.T., Tsai, L-H., Deng, C-X. and Alt, F.W. (2010) Neural sirtuin 6 (Sirt6) ablation attenuates somatic growth and causes obesity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 107, 21790-21794. Epub 2010 Nov 22, PMC3003110
  • Giallourakis, C.G., Franklin, A., Guo, C., Cheng, H-L., Yoon, H.S., Gallagher, M., Perlot, T., Andzelm, M., Murphy, A.J., MacDonald, L.E., Yancopoulos, G.D. and Alt, F.W. (2010) Elements between the IgH V and D clusters influence antisense transcription and lineage specific V(D)J recombination. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.107, 22207-22212. Epub 2010 Dec 1, PMC3009784
  • Zha, S., Guo, C., Boboila, C., Oksenych, V., Cheng, H-L., Zhang, Y., Wesemann, D.R., Yuen, G., Patel, H., Goff, P.H., Dubois, R.L. and Alt, F.W. (2011) ATM damage response and XLF repair factor are functionally redundant in joining DNA breaks. Nature 469, 250-254. Epub 2010 Dec 15, PMC3058373
  • Zha, S., Jiang, W., Fujiwara, Y., Patel, H., Goff, P.H., Brush, J.W., Dubois, R.L. and Alt, F.W. (2011) Ataxia telangiectasia-mutated protein and DNA-dependent protein kinase have complementary V(D)J recombination functions. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 108, 2028-2033. Epub 2011 Jan 18, PMC3033273
  • Basu, U., Meng, F.L., Keim, C., Grinstein, V., Pefanis, E., Eccleston, J., Zhang, T., Meyers, D., Wasserman, C.R., Wesemann, D.R., Januszyk, K., Gregory, R.I., Deng, H., Lima, C.D., and Alt, F.W.  (2011) The RNA exosome targets the AID cytidine deaminase to both strands of transcribed duplex DNA substrates. Cell.144, 353-363. Epub 2011 Jan 20, PMC3065114
  • Gostissa, M., Alt, F.W. and Chiarle, R. (2011) Mechanisms that promote and suppress chromosomal translocations in lymphocytes. Annu. Rev. Immunol.29, 319-350.
  • Guo, C., Yoon, H.S., Franklin, A., Jain, S., Ebert, A., Cheng, H-L. Hansen, E., Despo, O., Bossen, C., Vettermann, C., Bates, J.G., Richards, N., Myers, D., Patel, H., Gallagher, M., Schlissel, M.S., Murre, C., Busslinger, M., Giallourakis, C.C. and Alt, F.W. CTCF binding elements mediate control of V(D)J recombination. Nature In Press
  • Chiarle, R., Zhang, Y., Frock, R.L., Lewis, S.M., Molinie, B., Ho, Y-J., Myers, D.R., Choi, V.W., Compagno, M., Malkin, D.J., Neuberg, D., Monti, S., Giallourakis, C.C., Gostissa, M. and Alt, F.W. Genome-wide translocation sequencing reveals mechanisms of chromosome breaks and rearrangements in B cells. Cell In Press