David Pincus is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology. The Pincus lab is located in the Center for Physics of Evolving Systems on the 5th floor of GCIS.
The Pincus Lab studies cellular adaptation at three levels: cell biological mechanisms of adaptation to environmental stress, global principles of adaptation and resource allocation in complex environments, and the intersection of physiological stress response factors and evolutionary adaptation.
David is trained in approaches in biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, genomics, and molecular, cell, computational, systems and synthetic biology. The lab uses budding yeast and cultured human cells as experimental models.
Key project areas:
1) Quantitative cell biology of the heat shock response
2) Single-cell transcriptomics in complex stress environments
Whitehead Institute
Cambridge, MA
2018
UCSF
San Francisco, CA
PhD - Biochemistry
2012
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
BA - Molecular & Cell Biology
2004
Emergent 3D genome reorganization from the stepwise assembly of transcriptional condensates.
Emergent 3D genome reorganization from the stepwise assembly of transcriptional condensates. bioRxiv. 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40060634
Preserve or destroy: Orphan protein proteostasis and the heat shock response.
Preserve or destroy: Orphan protein proteostasis and the heat shock response. J Cell Biol. 2024 Dec 02; 223(12).
PMID: 39545954
Feedback control of the heat shock response by spatiotemporal regulation of Hsp70.
Feedback control of the heat shock response by spatiotemporal regulation of Hsp70. J Cell Biol. 2024 Dec 02; 223(12).
PMID: 39302312
The Heat Shock Response as a Condensate Cascade.
The Heat Shock Response as a Condensate Cascade. J Mol Biol. 2024 Jul 15; 436(14):168642.
PMID: 38848866
Unfolding emergency calls stress granules to the ER.
Unfolding emergency calls stress granules to the ER. Nat Cell Biol. 2024 Jun; 26(6):845-846.
PMID: 38822214
Feedback control of the heat shock response by spatiotemporal regulation of Hsp70.
Feedback control of the heat shock response by spatiotemporal regulation of Hsp70. bioRxiv. 2024 Jan 09.
PMID: 38260373
Adaptive preservation of orphan ribosomal proteins in chaperone-dispersed condensates.
Adaptive preservation of orphan ribosomal proteins in chaperone-dispersed condensates. Nat Cell Biol. 2023 Nov; 25(11):1691-1703.
PMID: 37845327
Blue light receptor CRY1 regulates HSFA1d nuclear localization to promote plant thermotolerance.
Blue light receptor CRY1 regulates HSFA1d nuclear localization to promote plant thermotolerance. Cell Rep. 2023 Sep 26; 42(9):113117.
PMID: 37703177
Transcriptional regulation of Sis1 promotes fitness but not feedback in the heat shock response.
Transcriptional regulation of Sis1 promotes fitness but not feedback in the heat shock response. Elife. 2023 05 09; 12.
PMID: 37158601
Inducible transcriptional condensates drive 3D genome reorganization in the heat shock response.
Inducible transcriptional condensates drive 3D genome reorganization in the heat shock response. Mol Cell. 2022 11 17; 82(22):4386-4399.e7.
PMID: 36327976
Stewart Trust Cancer Fellowship
Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust
2013 - 2015
Early Independence Award (DP5)
NIH Office of the Director
2013 - 2018
Graduate Research Fellowship
NSF
2007 - 2010