Dr. Aaron Severson

Associate Professor, Associate Chair, BGES
Location: SR 280C
Phone: (216) 687-4864
Fax: (216) 687-6972

In all organisms, accurate transmission of the genome during cell division is essential to prevent genetic instability. This is especially true during meiosis, the process that reduces genome copy number, or ploidy, from two in diploid germline stem cells to one in each haploid gamete. Defects in meiosis affect all cells of an embryo and profoundly impact health: it is estimated that over 30% of human zygotes have abnormal chromosomal content at conception, and such aneuploidies are the leading known cause of miscarriages and birth defects. The best known viable aneuploidy, trisomy 21, causes Down syndrome. I use Caenorhabditis elegans to study how gametes inherit exactly one copy of every chromosome. Because the process of meiosis is widely conserved among eukaryotes, the meiotic mechanisms we identify in the lowly worm are relevant to understanding gametogenesis in humans.

Ashia Turney
Ashia Turney


Undergraduate Researcher, 2024-Present


Taharat Khandaker
Taharat Khandaker

Volunteer, 2023-Present


Kaniz Fatema
Kaniz Fatema

PhD Rotation Student, 2023-Present


Ali Ahsan
Ali Ahsan

PhD Student, 2017-Present


Previous Members

Fatemah Abed
Fatemah Abed

Undergraduate Researcher, 2023-24


Karli Randau
Karli Randau

Undergraduate Researcher, 2023-24


Elias Asmar
Elias Asmar

Undergraduate Honors Student, 2023-24. Subsequently attended Medical School at NEOMED.


Kendra Brown

Undergraduate Honors Student, 2022-23. Subsequently attended MS-Anesthesia program at CWRU.


Lexi Knight
Lexi Knight

Undergraduate Honors Student, 2022-23. Subsequently attended MS-PA program at Baldwin-Wallace.


Andrew Blazer
Andrew Blazer

Undergraduate Researcher, 2022-23. Subsequently interned at Dermatology, Surgery & Cosmetics of NE OH


Chris Cory
Chris Cory

Undergraduate Researcher, 2019. Subsequently received MS in Math from CSU.


Swetha Joswala
PhD Student, 2014-20. Subsequently worked as Scientist I at Tessera Therapeutics, Somerville, MA


Samhita Chaudhuri
Samhita Chaudhuri

MS Student, 2016-20. Subsequently worked as a Lab Technologist at Fulgent Genetics, Temple City, CA


Taylor Schilling
Taylor Schilling

MS Student, 2017-2020. Subsequently worked as a Research Technologist at the Lerner Research Institute


Urja Patel
Urja Patel

Undergraduate Researcher, 2017-19. Subsequently attended Podiatry School.


Elijah Smith
Elijah Smith

Undergraduate Researcher, 2019. Subsequently worked as ASCP Med Tech at SW General Medical Center in Middleburg Heights, OH


Solomiya Puschak
Solomiya Puschak

Undergraduate Researcher, McNair Scholar, 2017-18. Subsequently worked as a Patient Service Specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.


Alexis Brown
Alexis Brown

Undergraduate Researcher, 2018. Subsequently, Algae & Zooplankton Taxonomist, Beachwood, OH


Emilia Kalutskaya
Emilia Kalutskaya

College Credit Plus Researcher, 2018. Subsequently received BS-Pharmaceutical Sci from CSU.


Taylor Bhaiji
Taylor Bhaiji

NIH/NIDDK STEP-UP High School Scholar, Summer 2018. Subsequently attended Columbia University.


Sraavya Anne
Sraavya Anne

High School Student, Summer 2018. Subsequently attended NJIT/Rutgers Med School


Michael Ribaudo
Michael Ribaudo

PhD Rotation Student, 2017


Kaveri Khanna
Kaveri Khanna

PhD Rotation Student, 2016-17


Andrew Brandt
Andrew Brandt

Postbac Researcher, 2016-17. Subsequently attended MS Program in Biotechnology at Columbia University.


Abhishek Ganguly
Abhishek Ganguly

PhD Student, 2015-17


Dan Benchek, MS
Dan Benchek, MS

MS Student, 2012-16


Kyle Schroeder
Kyle Schroeder

Undergraduate Researcher, 2014-15. Subsequently attended Medical School at St. George's University.


Valerie Sar-Shalom
Valerie Sar-Shalom

MS Student, 2015-16


Elspeth Mitchell
Elspeth Mitchell

Postbacalaureate Researcher, 2013-14. Subsequently attended Vet School at Ohio State University


Rachel Winegar
Rachel Winegar

Undergraduate Researcher, 2013-14. Subsequently attended Podiatry School at Kent State University


Brendan Skrtic
Brendan Skrtic

Undergraduate Researcher, 2013-15


Liz Tracey
Liz Tracey

MS Student, 2012-14

Research Articles

Turpin, C.G.S., D. Sloan, M. LaFores, L. Uehlein-Klebanow, D. Mitchell, A.F. Severson, and J.N. Bembenek. 2023. Securin regulates the spatiotemporal dynamics of separase. bioRxiv 2023.12.12.571338. PDF icon Turpin - 2023 - bioRxiv.pdf

Farboud, B., A.F. Severson, and B.J. Meyer. 2019. Strategies for efficient genome editing using CRISPRCas9. Genetics 211: 431-457. PDF icon Farboud - 2018 - Genetics.pdf

Hernandez, M.R., M.B. Davis, J. Jiang, E.A. Brouhard, A.F. Severson, and G. Csankovszki. 2018. Condensin I protects meiotic cohesin from WAPL-1 mediated removal. PLoS Genetics 14: e1007382. PDF icon Hernandez - 2018 - PLoS Genet.pdf

Severson, A.F., and B.J. Meyer. 2014. Divergent kleisin subunits of cohesin specify mechanisms to tether and release meiotic chromosomes. eLife 10.7554/eLife.03467. PDF icon Severson - 2014 - eLife.pdf

Schvarzstein, M., Pattabiraman, D., Libuda, D.E., Ramadugu, A., Tam, A., Martinez-Perez, E., Roelens, B., Zawadzki, K.A., Yokoo, R., Rosu, S., Severson, A.F., Meyer, B.J., Nabeshima, K., and A.M. Villeneuve. 2014. DNA helicase HIM-6/BLM both promotes MutSĪ³-dependent crossovers and antagonizes MutSĪ³-independent inter-homolog associations during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis. Genetics, pii: genetics.114.161513. PDF icon Schvarzstein - 2014 - Genetics.pdf

Severson, A.F., L. Ling, V. van Zuylen, and B.J. Meyer. 2009. The axial element protein HTP-3 promotes cohesin loading and meiotic axis assembly in C. elegans to implement the meiotic program of chromosome segregation. Genes Dev. 23:1763-1778. PDF icon Severson - 2009 - Genes Dev.pdf

Chan, R.C.*, Severson, A.F.*, and B.J. Meyer. 2004. Condensin restructures chromosomes in preparation for meiotic divisions. J. Cell Biol. 167:613-625. PDF icon Chan - 2004 - J Cell Biol.pdf
* co-first author paper

Severson, A.F., and B. Bowerman. 2003. Myosin and the PAR proteins polarize microfilament-dependent forces that shape and position mitotic spindles in C. elegans. J. Cell Biol. 161:21-26. PDF icon Severson - 2003 - J Cell Biol.pdf

Severson, A.F., D.L. Baillie, and B. Bowerman. 2002. A Formin Homology protein and a Profilin are required for cytokinesis and Arp2/3-independent assembly of cortical microfilaments in C. elegansCurrent Biol. 12:2066-2075. PDF icon Severson - 2002 - Current Biol.pdf

Hamill, D.R., A.F. Severson, J.C. Carter, and B. Bowerman. 2002. Centrosome maturation and mitotic spindle assembly in C. elegans require SPD-5, a protein with multiple coiled-coil domains. Dev. Cell 3:673-684. PDF icon Hamill- 2002 - Dev Cell.pdf

Severson, A.F., D.R. Hamill, J.C. Carter, J. Schumacher, and B. Bowerman. 2000. The Aurora-related Kinase AIR-2 recruits ZEN-4/CeMKLP1 to the mitotic spindle at metaphase and is required for cytokinesis. Curr. Biol. 10:1162-1171. PDF icon Severson - 2000 - Current Biol.pdf

Swan, K.A., A.F. Severson, J.C. Carter, P.R. Martin, H. Schnabel, R. Schnabel, and B. Bowerman. 1998. cyk-1: a C. elegans FH gene required for a late step in embryonic cytokinesis. J. Cell Sci. 111:2017-2027. PDF icon Swan - 1998 - J Cell Sci.pdf

Invited Review Articles and Book Chapters

Severson, A.F. 2016. Analysis of meiotic sister chromatid cohesion in Caenorhabditis elegansMethods Mol. Biol. 1515:65-95PDF icon Severson - 2016 - MiMB.pdf

Severson, A.F., G. von Dassow, and B. Bowerman. 2016. Oocyte meiotic spindle assembly and function. Curr. Top. Dev. Biol. 116:65-98.  PDF icon Severson et al - 2016 - CTDB.pdf

Wood, A.J.*, A.F. Severson*, and B.J. Meyer. 2010. Condensin and cohesin complexity: the expanding repertoire of functions. Nat. Rev. Genet. 11:391-404. PDF icon Wood - 2010 - Nat Rev Genet.pdf
* co-first author paper

Severson, A.F. and B. Bowerman. 2002. Cytokinesis: closing in on the central spindle. Dev. Cell 2:4-6. PDF icon Severson - 2002 - Dev Cell.pdf

Bowerman, B. and A.F. Severson. 1999. Cell Division: Plant-like properties of animal cell cytokinesis. Curr. Biol. 9: R658-660. PDF icon Severson - 1999 - Current Biol.pdf

Mailing Address
Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease (GRHD)
2121 Euclid Avenue, SR 259
Cleveland, OH 44115

Campus Location
2351 Euclid Avenue
Science and Research Building, Room 259
Phone: (216) 687-2516
Fax: (216) 687-5549
d.jackel@csuohio.edu

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