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Stefan Taubert
PhD

Investigator, BC Children's Hospital

In all organisms, DNA is the matter of inheritance. As such, DNA provides the blueprint to build and operate each individual organism. Decoding the information contained in the DNA is thus a key process, termed ‘transcription’. Transcription needs to happen at the right time and in the right place, and deregulated transcription causes diseases such as cancers, diabetes, and developmental abnormalities. But how does a creature transcribe the specific DNA programs to develop a normal, functioning organ, or to adapt its life-style to a specific external influence?



My lab studies the so-called ‘Mediator’, a molecular machine that is required for transcription: without it, the information contained in DNA cannot be properly decoded. Intriguingly, several Mediator subunits are mutated in human diseases, including certain cancers and neurodevelopmental disorders, but how and why the Mediator mutations cause disease remains poorly understood.

Our mission is to define why and how Mediator function assures normal development, prevents sickness, and promotes healthy aging. We use the worm Caenorhabditis elegans and the house mouse as experimental animal models, because they share certain aspects of human biology, and because we can control their genetics. With this approach we dissect how individual Mediator subunits regulate lipid metabolism and fat storage, detoxification programs, organ development and differentiation pathways, and aging. By providing new insights into how DNA is transcribed, our investigations may lead to new diagnostics and/or therapeutics that can help cure human diseases.

Academic Affiliations

  • Professor, , Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
  • Research Theme: Childhood Diseases
  • Research Group(s): Childhood Cancer and Blood Research; Diabetes

Contact Information

Assistant

Dora Pak

dora@cmmt.ubc.ca

Location

950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 4H4

(604) 875-3860

taubert@cmmt.ubc.ca

Taubert lab

Hoi1 targets BLTP2 to ER"PM contact sites to regulate lipid homeostasis

Journal of Cell Biology

Samantha K. Dziurdzik and Vaishnavi Sridhar and Hailey Eng and Sarah D. Neuman and Junran Yan and Michael Davey and Stefan Taubert and Arash Bashirullah and Elizabeth Conibear

DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202502131

05 / 2026

Hoi1 targets the yeast BLTP2 protein to ER-PM contact sites to regulate lipid homeostasis

Biorxiv

Dziurdzik, S.K. and Sridhar, V. and Eng, H. and Neuman, S.D. and Yan, J. and Davey, M. and Taubert, S. and Bashirullah, A. and Conibear, E.

DOI: 10.1101/2025.02.11.637747

Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Kinase EFK-1/eEF2K promotes starvation resistance by preventing oxidative damage in C. elegans

Nature Communications

Yan, J. and Bhanshali, F. and Shuzenji, C. and Mendenhall, T.T. and Taylor, S.K.B. and Ermakova, G. and Cheng, X. and Bai, P. and Diwan, G. and Seraj, D. and Meyer, J.N. and Sorensen, P.H. and Hartman, J.H. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56766-1

Effects of feces storage conditions for host-microbiota screenings in C. elegans

Frontiers in Microbiomes

Caron, L. and Alonzo De la Rosa, C.M. and Diop, K. and Miard, S. and Taubert, S. and Marette, A. and Picard, F.

DOI: 10.3389/frmbi.2024.1426254

The unfolded protein response of the endoplasmic reticulum protects Caenorhabditis elegans against DNA damage caused by stalled replication forks

G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Xu, J. and Sabatino, B. and Yan, J. and Ermakova, G. and Doering, K.R.S. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1093/G3JOURNAL/JKAE017

Transcriptional coactivator MED15 is required for beta cell maturation

Nature Communications

Kadhim, A.Z. and Vanderkruk, B. and Mar, S. and Dan, M. and Zosel, K. and Xu, E.E. and Spencer, R.J. and Sasaki, S. and Cheng, X. and Sproul, S.L.J. and Speckmann, T. and Nian, C. and Cullen, R. and Shi, R. and Luciani, D.S. and Hoffman, B.G. and Taubert, S. and Lynn, F.C.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52801-9

Methods to extract and study the biological effects of murine gut microbiota using Caenorhabditis elegans as a screening host

PLoS ONE

Alonzo-De la Rosa, C.M. and Miard, S. and Taubert, S. and Picard, F.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281887

Mediator subunit MDT-15 promotes expression of propionic acid breakdown genes to prevent embryonic lethality in Caenorhabditis elegans

G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Goh, G.Y.S. and Beigi, A. and Yan, J. and Doering, K.R.S. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad087

Nuclear hormone receptor NHR-49 is an essential regulator of stress resilience and healthy aging in Caenorhabditis elegans

Frontiers in Physiology

Doering, K.R.S. and Ermakova, G. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1241591

Mediator subunit MDT-15 promotes expression of propionic acid breakdown genes to prevent embryonic lethality inCaenorhabditis elegans

Grace Ying Shyen Goh and Arshia Beigi and Junran Yan and Kelsie R. S. Doering and Stefan Taubert

DOI: 10.1101/2022.12.16.520805

12 / 2022

cSurvival: a web resource for biomarker interactions in cancer outcomes and in cell lines

Briefings in Bioinformatics

Cheng, X. and Liu, Y. and Wang, J. and Chen, Y. and Robertson, A.G. and Zhang, X. and Jones, S.J.M. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac090

Nuclear hormone receptor NHR-49 acts in parallel with HIF-1 to promote hypoxia adaptation in Caenorhabditis elegans

eLife

Doering, K.R.S. and Cheng, X. and Milburn, L. and Ratnappan, R. and Ghazi, A. and Miller, D.L. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.7554/eLife.67911

eVITTA: a web-based visualization and inference toolbox for transcriptome analysis

Nucleic Acids Research

Xuanjin Cheng and Junran Yan and Yongxing Liu and Jiahe Wang and Stefan Taubert

DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab366

07 / 2021

NHR-49/PPAR-a and HLH-30/TFEB cooperate for C. elegans host defense via a flavin-containing monooxygenase

eLife

Khursheed A Wani and Debanjan Goswamy and Stefan Taubert and Ramesh Ratnappan and Arjumand Ghazi and Javier E Irazoqui

DOI: 10.7554/eLife.62775

05 / 2021

Nuclear Hormone Receptor NHR-49 controls a HIF-1-independent hypoxia adaptation pathway inCaenorhabditis elegans

Kelsie R. S. Doering and Xuanjin Cheng and Luke Milburn and Ramesh Ratnappan and Arjumand Ghazi and Dana L. Miller and Stefan Taubert

DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.24.432575

02 / 2021

Beyond Proteostasis: Lipid Metabolism as a New Player in ER Homeostasis

Metabolites

Jiaming Xu and Stefan Taubert

DOI: 10.3390/metabo11010052

01 / 2021

Xenobiotic metabolism and transport in Caenorhabditis elegans

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health - Part B: Critical Reviews

Hartman, J.H. and Widmayer, S.J. and Bergemann, C.M. and King, D.E. and Morton, K.S. and Romersi, R.F. and Jameson, L.E. and Leung, M.C.K. and Andersen, E.C. and Taubert, S. and Meyer, J.N.

DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2021.1884921

cSurvival: A web resource for biomarker interactions in cancer outcomes

bioRxiv

Cheng, X. and Liu, Y. and Wang, J. and Chen, Y. and Robertson, A.G. and Zhang, X. and Jones, S.J.M. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1101/2021.11.15.468756

NHR-49/PPAR-a and HLH-30/TFEB promoteC. eleganshost defense via a flavin-containing monooxygenase

Khursheed A. Wani and Debanjan Goswamy and Stefan Taubert and Ramesh Ratnappan and Arjumand Ghazi and Javier E. Irazoqui

DOI: 10.1101/2020.09.03.282087

09 / 2020

Stress sensor Ire1 deploys a divergent transcriptional program in response to lipid bilayer stress

Journal of Cell Biology

Ho, N. and Yap, W.S. and Xu, J. and Wu, H. and Koh, J.H. and Goh, W.W.B. and George, B. and Chong, S.C. and Taubert, S. and Thibault, G.

DOI: 10.1083/JCB.201909165

ER stress sensor Ire1 deploys a divergent transcriptional program in response to lipid bilayer stress

Nurulain Ho and Haoxi Wu and Jiaming Xu and Jhee Hong Koh and Wei Sheng Yap and Wilson Wen Bin Goh and Shu Chen Chong and Stefan Taubert and Guillaume Thibault

DOI: 10.1101/774133

09 / 2019

Epigenetic regulator G9a provides glucose as a sweet key to stress resistance

PLoS Biology

Doering, K.R.S. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000236

Mediator subunit MDT-15/MED15 and Nuclear Receptor HIZR-1/HNF4 cooperate to regulate toxic metal stress responses in Caenorhabditis elegans

PLoS Genetics

Shomer, N. and Zacharie Kadhim, A. and Margaret Grants, J. and Cheng, X. and Alhusari, D. and Bhanshali, F. and Poon, A.F.-Y. and Ya Lee, M.Y. and Muhuri, A. and In Park, J. and Shih, J. and Lee, D. and Lee, S.-J.V. and Lynn, F.C. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008508

MDT-15/MED15 permits longevity at low temperature via enhancing lipidostasis and proteostasis

PLoS Biology

Lee, D. and An, S.W.A. and Jung, Y. and Yamaoka, Y. and Ryu, Y. and Goh, G.Y.S. and Beigi, A. and Yang, J.-S. and Jung, G.Y. and Ma, D.K. and Ha, C.M. and Taubert, S. and Lee, Y. and Lee, S.-J.V.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000415

C. elegans Mediator 15 permits low temperature-induced longevity via regulation of lipid and protein homeostasis

Lee D and An SWA and Jung Y and Yamaoka Y and Ryu Y and Goh GYS and Beigi A and Ma D and Ha CM and Taubert S and Lee Y and Lee SV

DOI: 10.1101/366153

07 / 2018

Activity of translation regulator eukaryotic elongation factor-2 kinase is increased in Parkinson disease brain and its inhibition reduces alpha synuclein toxicity

Acta neuropathologica communications

Jan, A. and Jansonius, B. and Delaidelli, A. and Bhanshali, F. and An, Y.A. and Ferreira, N. and Smits, L.M. and Negri, G.L. and Schwamborn, J.C. and Jensen, P.H. and Mackenzie, I.R. and Taubert, S. and Sorensen, P.H.

DOI: 10.1186/s40478-018-0554-9

NHR-49/HNF4 integrates regulation of fatty acid metabolism with a protective transcriptional response to oxidative stress and fasting

Aging Cell

Goh, G.Y.S. and Winter, J.J. and Bhanshali, F. and Doering, K.R.S. and Lai, R. and Lee, K. and Veal, E.A. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1111/acel.12743

eEF2K inhibition blocks A42 neurotoxicity by promoting an NRF2 antioxidant response

Acta Neuropathologica

Jan, A. and Jansonius, B. and Delaidelli, A. and Somasekharan, S.P. and Bhanshali, F. and Vandal, M. and Negri, G.L. and Moerman, D. and MacKenzie, I. and Calon, F. and Hayden, M.R. and Taubert, S. and Sorensen, P.H.

DOI: 10.1007/s00401-016-1634-1

The R148.3 gene modulates Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan and fat metabolism

G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Roy-Bellavance, C. and Grants, J.M. and Miard, S. and Lee, K. and Rondeau, ?. and Guillemette, C. and Simard, M.J. and Taubert, S. and Picard, F.

DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.041681

Genomic and cytogenetic characterization of a balanced translocation disrupting NUP98

Cytogenetic and Genome Research

Thibodeau, M.L. and Steinraths, M. and Brown, L. and Zong, Z. and Shomer, N. and Taubert, S. and Mungall, K.L. and Ma, Y.P. and Mueller, R. and Birol, I. and Lehman, A.

DOI: 10.1159/000479463

Bacterial diet affects vulval organogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans Mediator kinase module mutants

Matters

Jennifer Grants and Stefan Taubert

DOI: 10.19185/matters.201605000012

05 / 2016

Caenorhabditis elegans Gets Metabolic Network Models

Cell Systems

Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2016.05.003

The mediator kinase module restrains epidermal growth factor receptor signaling and represses vulval cell fate specification in Caenorhabditis elegans

Genetics

Grants, J.M. and Ying, L.T.L. and Yoda, A. and You, C.C. and Okano, H. and Sawa, H. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.180265

Gain-of-function alleles in caenorhabditis elegans nuclear hormone receptor nhr-49 are functionally distinct

PLoS ONE

Lee, K. and Goh, G.Y.S. and Wong, M.A. and Klassen, T.L. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162708

The Mediator complex of Caenorhabditis elegans: Insights into the developmental and physiological roles of a conserved transcriptional coregulator

Nucleic Acids Research

Grants, J.M. and Goh, G.Y.S. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv037

S-adenosylmethionine levels govern innate immunity through distinct methylation-dependent pathways

Cell Metabolism

Ding, W. and Smulan, L.J. and Hou, N.S. and Taubert, S. and Watts, J.L. and Walker, A.K.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2015.07.013

Membrane lipids and the endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response: An interesting relationship

Worm

Nicole S Hou and Stefan Taubert

DOI: 10.4161/21624046.2014.962405

09 / 2014

The conserved Mediator subunit MDT-15 is required for oxidative stress responses in Caenorhabditis elegans

Aging Cell

Goh, G.Y.S. and Martelli, K.L. and Parhar, K.S. and Kwong, A.W.L. and Wong, M.A. and Mah, A. and Hou, N.S. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1111/acel.12154

Activation of the endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response by lipid disequilibrium without disturbed proteostasis in vivo

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Hou, N.S. and Gutschmidt, A. and Choi, D.Y. and Pather, K. and Shi, X. and Watts, J.L. and Hoppe, T. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1318262111

The C. elegans CDK8 Mediator module regulates axon guidance decisions in the ventral nerve cord and during dorsal axon navigation

Developmental Biology

Steimel, A. and Suh, J. and Hussainkhel, A. and Deheshi, S. and Grants, J.M. and Zapf, R. and Moerman, D.G. and Taubert, S. and Hutter, H.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.02.009

Function and regulation of lipid biology in Caenorhabditis elegans aging

Frontiers in Physiology

Hou, N.S. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2012.00143

Somatic differentiation and MR imaging of magnetically labeled human embryonic stem cells.

Cell transplantation

Nejadnik, H. and Henning, T.D. and Castaneda, R.T. and Boddington, S. and Taubert, S. and Jha, P. and Tavri, S. and Golovko, D. and Ackerman, L. and Meier, R. and Daldrup-Link, H.E.

DOI: 10.3727/096368912X653156

Repression of a potassium channel by nuclear hormone receptor and TGF- signaling modulates insulin signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans

PLoS Genetics

Park, D. and Jones, K.L. and Lee, H. and Snutch, T.P. and Taubert, S. and Riddle, D.L.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002519

Coordinate regulation of lipid metabolism by novel nuclear receptor partnerships

PLoS Genetics

Pathare, P.P. and Lin, A. and Bornfeldt, K.E. and Taubert, S. and van Gilst, M.R.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002645

Nuclear hormone receptors in nematodes: Evolution and function

Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology

Taubert, S. and Ward, J.D. and Yamamoto, K.R.

DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2010.04.021

Functional modularity of nuclear hormone receptors in a Caenorhabditis elegans metabolic gene regulatory network

Molecular Systems Biology

Arda, H.E. and Taubert, S. and MacNeil, L.T. and Conine, C.C. and Tsuda, B. and Van Gilst, M. and Sequerra, R. and Doucette-Stamm, L. and Yamamoto, K.R. and Walhout, A.J.M.

DOI: 10.1038/msb.2010.23

SET(BP1)-ing the stage for a better understanding of Schinzel - Giedion syndrome

Clinical Genetics

Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0004.2010.01505.x

The mediator subunit MDT-15 confers metabolic adaptation to ingested material

PLoS Genetics

Taubert, S. and Hansen, M. and Van Gilst, M.R. and Cooper, S.B. and Yamamoto, K.R.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000021

Lifespan extension by conditions that inhibit translation in Caenorhabditis elegans

Aging Cell

Hansen, M. and Taubert, S. and Crawford, D. and Libina, N. and Lee, S.-J. and Kenyon, C.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2006.00267.x

A mediator subunit, MDT-15, integrates regulation of fatty acid metabolism by NHR-49-dependent and -independent pathways in C. elegans

Genes and Development

Taubert, S. and Van Gilst, M.R. and Hansen, M. and Yamamoto, K.R.

DOI: 10.1101/gad.1395406

E2F-dependent histone acetylation and recruitment of the Tip60 acetyltransferase complex to chromatin in late G1

Molecular and Cellular Biology

Taubert, S. and Gorrini, C. and Frank, S.R. and Parisi, T. and Fuchs, M. and Chan, H.-M. and Livingston, D.M. and Amati, B.

DOI: 10.1128/MCB.24.10.4546-4556.2004

MYC recruits the TIP60 histone acetyltransferase complex to chromatin

EMBO Reports

Frank, S.R. and Parisi, T. and Taubert, S. and Fernandez, P. and Fuchs, M. and Chan, H.-M. and Livingston, D.M. and Amati, B.

DOI: 10.1038/sj.embor.embor861

Binding of c-Myc to chromatin mediates mitogen-induced acetylation of histone H4 and gene activation

Genes and Development

Frank, S.R. and Schroeder, M. and Fernandez, P. and Taubert, S. and Amati, B.

DOI: 10.1101/gad.906601

Function of the c-Myc oncoprotein in chromatin remodeling and transcription

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Reviews on Cancer

Amati, B. and Frank, S.R. and Donjerkovic, D. and Taubert, S.

DOI: 10.1016/S0304-419X(01)00020-8

Pleiotropic effects of cAMP on germination, antibiotic biosynthesis and morphological development in Streptomyces coelicolor

Molecular Microbiology

Ssstrunk, U. and Pidoux, J. and Taubert, S. and Ullmann, A. and Thompson, C.J.

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.01033.x

Current Projects

Conservation of MED15 function in mammals: Given the metabolic regulatory role of MDT-15 in C. elegans, we are testing whether MED15, its mammalian homologue, performs similar functions. Using candidate and unbiased genomic approaches we aim to identify MED15's transcriptional targets and biological functions in cultured cells. Additionally, we have generated tissue-specific MED15 loss-of-function and we are now investigating their metabolic and developmental phenotypes.

Current Projects

MDT-15 interacting factors and molecular determinants: MDT-15 is the centre of a regulatory network that includes many Nuclear Hormone Receptors (NHRs). However, which, if any, part of MDT-15’s function these NHRs perform is unclear; moreover, we do not yet understand the molecular details of these interactions. Using advanced genetic, genomic, and biochemical methods, we are defining the individual roles of this network’s components.

Current Projects

MDT-15 driven metabolic homeostasis: MDT-15 is required to maintain metabolic homeostasis in C. elegans, but how altered lipid balance affects organelle, cellular, and organismal function remains poorly understood. Our experiments aim to delineate the consequence of lipid imbalances in worms lacking mdt-15, and how lipid metabolism and oxidative stress responses impinge on organismal health and aging.

Honours & Awards

CIHR Catalyst Grant (2010-2011)

NSERC Discovery Grant (2013-2018)

Canada Research Chair Tier 2 - renewal (2014-2019)

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