Jessica Tollkuhn
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 2006
tollkuhn@cshl.edu | 516-367-5002
My lab studies how estrogen and testosterone regulate gene expression in the brain. The receptors for these steroid hormones directly bind DNA to turn genes on or off. We have found that sex differences in gene expression are a dynamic readout of hormone actions across the lifespan. We aim to understand how these hormone-regulated genes contribute to sex-variable biology, behavior, and disease risk.
The Tollkuhn Lab seeks to understand how transient events during brain development exert lasting effects on gene expression, circuit function and, ultimately, behavior. We study how sex-specific neural circuits in rodents are established and modulated by the gonadal hormones estrogen and testosterone. The cognate receptors for these hormones are nuclear receptor transcription factors, which orchestrate modification of local chromatin environment and thus exert long-term effects on gene expression. However, the genes regulated by these receptors, as well as the specific mechanisms they utilize, remain poorly understood in the brain. This is in part because the extraordinary cellular heterogeneity of the brain complicates analysis of the small subpopulations of neurons that mediate sex-specific behaviors.
Having recently identified sex differences in both gene expression and chromatin in brain regions known to regulate sex-specific behaviors, my lab is now working to understand how hormones generate these molecular sex differences during development, through the use of biochemical, genomic, and behavioral analyses. We have developed a method that permits genome-wide analysis of histone modifications or DNA methylation in genetically defined populations of neurons. We hypothesize that these epigenetic data, combined with gene expression profiling, define the molecular signature of the critical period for sexual differentiation of the brain. Our goal is to provide a mechanistic link between the transcriptional effects of hormone signaling during development and the consequent social behaviors displayed in adulthood.
Hazen Tower
April 25, 2024
The Italian-style bell tower anchors CSHL’s Neuroscience Center. Its bell has rung out every hour on the hour, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., since 1991.
Women’s health quiz
March 19, 2024
CSHL research has yielded insights into a number of women’s health topics, from menopause to breast cancer. Take this quiz to see how far we’ve come.
A call for support of trans scientists
March 14, 2024
CSHL Postdoctoral Fellow Simón(e) Sun has co-authored an article titled “Rigorous Science Demands Support of Transgender Scientists.”
Women in science on women’s health
March 8, 2024
CSHL’s Camila dos Santos and Jessica Tollkuhn offer empowering insights into breast cancer prevention, pregnancy, menopause, and hormone therapy.
One Experiment: The brain’s power lines
January 22, 2024
Everyone is “wired” differently. CSHL Associate Professor Jessica Tollkuhn maps the genes sex hormones use to shape developing brains.
Simón(e) Sun named 2023 HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow
September 19, 2023
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute will provide Sun, a postdoc in the Tollkuhn lab at CSHL, up to $1.5 million over a period of up to eight years.
President’s essay: Bringing bold visions to life
May 26, 2023
CSHL President & CEO Bruce Stillman sees the Laboratory as a global hub for scientific expertise and a powerful launchpad for early-career scientists.
Jessica Tollkuhn wins $750K MIND Prize
April 25, 2023
The award will support Tollkuhn’s research on the role of sex hormones in brain development, behavior, and diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: Foundations for the Future
December 15, 2022
CSHL continues to lead in biomedical sciences by fostering a collaborative, innovative, and high-risk, high-reward research community.
Simón(e) Sun named a 2022 Leading Edge Fellow
June 2, 2022
CSHL postdoc Simón(e) Sun was selected as a 2022 Leading Edge Fellow for her work on the protein estrogen receptor beta and its role in the nervous system.
Selected Publications
Gene regulation by gonadal hormone receptors underlies brain sex differences
4 May 2022 | Nature
Gegenhuber, B, Wu, M, Bronstein, R, Tollkuhn, J
Oestrogen engages brain MC4R signalling to drive physical activity in female mice.
13 Oct 2021 | Nature
Krause, William, Rodriguez, Ruben, Gegenhuber, Bruno, Matharu, Navneet, Rodriguez, Andreas, Padilla-Roger, Adriana, Toma, Kenichi, Herber, Candice, Correa, Stephanie, Duan, Xin, Ahituv, Nadav, Tollkuhn, Jessica, Ingraham, Holly
Specificity in sociogenomics: Identifying causal relationships between genes and behavior
Jan 2021 | Hormones and Behavior | 127:104882
Ruiz-Ortiz, Jenelys, Tollkuhn, Jessica
Signatures of Sex: Sex Differences in Gene Expression in the Vertebrate Brain
Jan 2020 | Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Developmental Biology | 9(1):e348
Gegenhuber, B, Tollkuhn, J
Sex Differences in the Epigenome: A Cause or Consequence of Sexual Differentiation of the Brain?
7 Jun 2019 | Genes | 10(6):E432
Gegenhuber, B, Tollkuhn, J
A central extended amygdala circuit that modulates anxiety
29 May 2018 | Journal of Neuroscience | 38(24):5567-5583
Ahrens, S, Wu, M, Furlan, A, Hwang, G, Paik, R, Li, H, Penzo, M, Tollkuhn, J, Li, B
All Publications
Area postrema neurons mediate interleukin-6 function in cancer cachexia
1 Jun 2024 | Nature Communications | 15(1):4682
Sun, Qingtao, van de Lisdonk, Daniëlle, Ferrer, Miriam, Gegenhuber, Bruno, Wu, Melody, Park, Youngkyu, Tuveson, David, Tollkuhn, Jessica, Janowitz, Tobias, Li, Bo
Nuclear receptors - studying genes to understand hormones.
22 May 2024 | Nature Reviews Genetics
Tollkuhn, Jessica
Parental-care puzzle in mice solved by thinking outside the brain
15 May 2024 | Nature
Tollkuhn, Jessica
The future of sex and gender in research
14 Mar 2024 | Cell | 187(6):1354-1357
Aguado, Brian, Jeffries, Daniel, Jordan-Young, Rebecca, Klein, Sabra, Lett, Elle, Stachenfeld, Nina, Tollkuhn, Jessica, Xu, Xiaohong