Michael Bassik

Michael C. Bassik, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine 

Research Description: The Bassik lab uses high-complexity shRNA libraries and systematic genetic interaction maps in mammalian cells to understand the biology of endocytic pathogens as well as stress signaling to the cell death machinery. They also develop novel tools for conducting genetic screens and generating interaction maps. They have been working together with ~25 collaborating labs at Stanford and beyond to use technologies to functionally annotate the genome in health and disease states, including diabetes mellitus. They created genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 sgRNA libraries, and have used these in parallel with shRNA libraries to conduct ~150 genome-wide screens successfully. To perform genetic interaction studies using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, they have developed a double sgRNA platform that allows the simultaneous measurement of 105-106 sgRNA pairs by deep sequencing. A major focus of the work has been to use pairwise double-shRNA vectors to develop a genetic interaction map to study the control of ER- trafficking (using the toxin ricin).  

The study of this system and lessons learned may be used to better understand questions relevant to β-cell biology, e.g., insulin packaging. Dr. Bassik is collaborating with Drs. Justin Annes and Seung Kim to better understand the genetic factors that control insulin packaging, storage and secretion. These cross-disciplinary interactions bring new scientists, techniques and insights to the diabetes field. The wide range of applications to translational science for which the Bassik lab has been funded highlight the broad applicability of this work and potential to contribute to the diabetes research environment at Stanford.  

Selected relevant publications (Stanford DRC Members in BOLD):

  1. Breslow DK, Hoogendoorn S, Kopp AR, Morgens DW, Vu BK, Kennedy MC, Han K, Li A, Hess GT, Bassik MC, Chen JK, Nachury MV. A CRISPR-based screen for Hedgehog signaling provides insights into ciliary function and ciliopathies. Nat Genet. 2018 Mar;50(3):460-471. doi: 10.1038/s41588-018-0054-7. PMID: 29459677; PMCID: PMC5862771. 

  2. Cheng W, Wang S, Zhang Z, Morgens DW, Hayes LR, Lee S, Portz B, Xie Y, Nguyen BV, Haney MS, Yan S, Dong D, Coyne AN, Yang J, Xian F, Cleveland DW, Qiu Z, Rothstein JD, Shorter J, Gao FB, Bassik MC, Sun S. CRISPR-Cas9 Screens Identify the RNA Helicase DDX3X as a Repressor of C9ORF72 (GGGGCC)n Repeat-Associated Non-AUG Translation. Neuron. 2019 Dec 4;104(5):885-898.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.003. PMID: 31587919; PMCID: PMC6895427.