Principal Investigator/Program Director:
Meyskens, Frank L.
5P30CA062203-17
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for the key personnel and other significant contributors.
Follow this format for each person. DO NOT EXCEED FOUR PAGES.
NAME
POSITION TITLE
MacGregor, Grant Ralph
Associate Professor of Developmental and Cell
Biology
eRA COMMONS USER NAME
GRANTMACGREGOR
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, and include postdoctoral training.)
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
MM/YY
Edinburgh University, Scotland
B.Sc. (Hons)
06/82
Sussex University, Falmer, England
D.Phil.
06/86
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Post-Doc
06/86 –
06/93
FIELD OF STUDY
Molecular Biology
DNA Repair &
Mutagenesis
Developmental Genetics
A. Personal Statement
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Developmental & Cell Biology. My lab investigates the
mechanism of action of the novel Fndc3 gene family, required for a wide range of developmental and
homeostasis processes in mammals using the mouse as a model genetic system. I have over twenty-five
years experience in generation and analysis of genetically modified mice. At a previous institution, I ran a
Transgenic Mouse Core Facility for ten years. In 2009 I succeeded Dr. Arthur Lander as Scientific Director of
the UCI Transgenic Mouse Core Facility (TMF). Since then we have worked to reinvigorate the TMF's service
function with a view to serving the cancer research community by (a) increasing its efficiency, (b) introducing
new services and (c) revising the TMF website to make it easier for Cancer Center Faculty to gain access to
information and materials required for their research.
B. Positions and Honors
Positions and Employment
1986-1989
Postdoc research with C. Thomas Caskey, MD in gene therapy.
1990-1992
Postdoc research with Paul Overbeek PhD in mammalian development and reproduction.
1992-1993
Postdoc research with Philippe Soriano PhD in mammalian development and reproduction.
1993-1996
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Emory University School of
Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
1997-2002
Associate Professor (tenured), Center for Molecular Medicine; Adjunct Associate Professor,
Dept Human Genetics & Dept Cell Biology; Emory University School of Medicine.
2002Associate Professor (tenured), Dept Developmental and Cell Biology; Center for Molecular and
Mitochondrial Medicine and Genetics, Developmental Biology Center; University of California,
Irvine, CA.
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
1993Member, Society for Study of Reproduction, Society for Developmental Biology, Genetics
Society of America.
2003Member, American Society for Cell Biology.
1999-2002
Member, NSF Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
1993-2002
Director, Transgenic Mouse Core Facility, Center for Molecular Medicine, Emory University,
Atlanta, GA.
2004-2008
Associate Director, Optical Biology Core, Developmental Biology Center, University of
California, Irvine, CA.
2009Scientific Director, Transgenic Mouse Core Facility, University of California, Irvine, CA.
1995, 1999
ad hoc reviewer American Cancer Society; Develop, Diff and Cancer Study Section.
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Meyskens, Frank L.
5P30CA062203-17
2002, '07, '10 ad hoc reviewer, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong,
2003
ad hoc reviewer, Canadian Institute for Health Research.
2003, '04
ad hoc reviewer, National Institute of Health, REB SRG.
2008-2010
ad hoc reviewer, National Institute of Health, CMIR IRG.
2008, '09
ad hoc reviewer, for Genome BC, Canadian Genome Funding Agency.
2011
ad hoc reviewer for Netherlands Government Research Agency
Principal Investigator/Program Director:
Honors
1982-1985
1986-1989
2004
2006
Competitive MRC Graduate Research Studentship.
Competitive Arthritis Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship.
UCI Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research.
UCI Biological Sciences Golden Apple Award for Teaching
B. Selected peer-reviewed publications (in chronological order: from total of 44).
Most relevant to the current application
1. MacGregor, G.R., Zambrowicz, B.P. and Soriano, P. (1995). Tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase is
expressed in both embryonic and extra-embryonic lineages during mouse embryogenesis but is not
required for migration of primordial germ cells. Development, 121, 1487-1496. PMID: 7789278
2. Waymire, K.G., Jaje, J.M., Mahuren, D., Guilarte, T., Coburn, S.P. and MacGregor, G.R. (1995). Mice
lacking tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase die from seizures due to defective metabolism of vitamin
B-6. Nat. Genet., 11, 45-51. PMID: 755031
3. Graham, B.H., Waymire, K.G., Cottrell, B., Trounce, I.A., MacGregor, G.R. and Wallace, D.C. (1997). A
mouse model for mitochondrial myopathy and cardiomyopathy resulting from a deficiency in the heart
skeletal muscle isoform of the adenine nucleotide translocator. Nat. Genet., 16, 226-234. PMID: 9207786
4. Sligh, J.E., Levy, S.E., Waymire, K.G., Allard, P., Dillehay, D.L., Nusinowitz, S., Heckenlively, J.R.,
MacGregor, G.R. and Wallace, D.C. (2000). Maternal germ line transmission of mutant mitochondrial DNAs
from embryonic stem cell derived chimeric mice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci (USA), 97, 14461-14466. PMID:
11106380
5. MacGregor, G.R. (2002). An extreme bias in the germ line of XY C57BL/6 <-> XY FVB/N chimeric mice.
Reproduction 124, 377-386. PMID: 12201811
Additional recent publications of importance to the field (in chronological order)
1. Ross, A., Waymire, K.G., Moss, J.E., Parlow, A.F., Skinner, M.K., Russell, L.D. and MacGregor, G.R.
(1998). Testicular degeneration in Bclw deficient mice. Nat. Genet., 18, 251-256. PMID: 9500547
2. Metcalfe, A.D., Gilmore, A., Klinowska, T., Oliver, J., Valentijn, A.J., Brown, R., Ross, A.J., MacGregor,
G.R., Hickman, J.A. and Streuli, C.H. (1999). Developmental regulation of BCL2 family protein expression
in the involuting mammary gland. J. Cell Sci., 112, 1771-1783. PMID: 10318769
3. Lindsten, T., Ross, A.J., Gottlieb-King, A., Zong, W-X., Rathmell, J.C., Shiels, H.A., Ulrich, E., Waymire,
K.G., Mahar, P.L., Frauwirth, K., Chen, Y., Wei, M., Eng, V.M., Adelman, D.M., Simon, M.C., Ma, A.,
Golden, J.A., Evan, G. Korsmeyer, S.J., MacGregor, G.R. and Thompson, C.B. (2000). The combined
functions of the pro-apoptotic BCL2 family members BAK and BAX are essential for the normal
development of multiple tissues. Mol. Cell, 6, 1389-1399. PMID: 11163212
4. Wei, M.C., Zong, W-X., Cheng, E.H-Y., Lindsten, T., Panoutsakopoulou, T., Roth, K.A., Ross, A.J.,
MacGregor, G.R., Thompson, C.B. and Korsmeyer, S.J. (2001). Pro-apoptotic BAX and BAK are essential
for mitochondrial dysfunction and death following diverse apoptotic signals. Science, 292, 727-730. PMID:
11326099
5. Zong, W-X., Lindsten, T., Ross, A.J., MacGregor, G.R. and Thompson, C.B. (2001). BH3-only proteins that
bind pro-survival BCL2 family members fail to induce apoptosis in the absence of BAX and BAK. Genes
Dev., 15, 1481-1486. PMID: 11410528
6. Ross, A.J., Amy, S.P., Mahar, P.L., Lindsten, T., Knudson, C.M., Thompson, C.B., Korsmeyer, S. J.,
MacGregor, G.R. (2001). BCLW mediates survival of post-mitotic Sertoli cells by regulating BAX activity.
Dev. Biol., 239, 295-308. PMID: 11784036
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5P30CA062203-17
7. Kokoszka, J.E., Waymire, K.G., Levy, S.E., Sligh, J.E., Cai, J.-Y., Jones, D.P., MacGregor, G.R., and
Wallace, D.C. (2004). The ADP/ATP translocator is not essential for the mitochondrial permeability
transition pore. Nature, 427, 461-465. PMID: 14749836
8. Obholz. K.L., Akopyan. A.A., Waymire, K.G., MacGregor, G.R. (2006). FNDC3A is required for adhesion
between spermatids and Sertoli cell in mice. Dev. Biol., 298, 498-513. PMID: 16904100
9. Fan, W.-W., Waymire, K.G., Narula, N., Li, P., Rocher, C., Coskun, P.E., Vannan, M.A., Narula, J.,
MacGregor, G.R., Wallace, D.C. (2008). A mouse model of mitochondrial disease reveals germline
selection against severe mtDNA mutations. Science, 319, 958 - 962. PMID: 18276892
10. Nicholson, A., Reifsnyder, P., Malcolm, R., Lucas, C., MacGregor, G.R., Zhang, W. and Leiter E. (2010).
Comparison of diet induced obesity responsiveness of two C57BL/6 substrains expressing a wildtype or
mutant Nicotinamide Nucleotide Transhydrogenase (Nnt) gene. Obesity, 18, 1902 - 1905. PMID: 20057372
Principal Investigator/Program Director:
C. Research Support
Ongoing Research Support
5P30CA062203-16
(Meyskens)
02/01/09-01/31/14
NIH/NCI
University of California Irvine Cancer Center Support Grant Infrastructure and Research award to support
cancer research at UC Irvine and beyond.
Role: Director Transgenic Mouse Facility
1R21HL 102862-01
(MacGregor)
04/01/10 – 03/31/12
NIH / NHLBI, NICHD (dual)
Function of FNDC3B in cardiovascular and pulmonary development
The goal of this project is to investigate how loss of FNDC3B in mice results in neonatal death due to
cardiovascular and pulmonary dysfunction.
Role: PI
Completed Research Support (past three years only)
1UO1-HD045913-01 (MacGregor)
12/01/03 - 11/30/09
NIH / NICHD
A novel gene required for Sertoli-Spermatid adhesion
The major goal of this project was a functional analysis of a novel gene product that is required for adhesion
between elongating spermatids and Sertoli cells in the testis and to evaluate its candidacy as a target for
development of novel approaches to male contraception.
Role: PI
RS1-00416-1
(MacGregor)
05/01/07 – 06/30/10
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
(CIRM) Seed Research Grant Program
Production of Oocytes from Human ES Cells
The goal of this project was to develop methods to convert human ES cells into primordial oocyte follicles in
vitro.
Role: PI
RC1-00110-1
(Donovan)
05/01/07 – 07/31/11
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
(CIRM) Comprehensive Research Grant Program
Improved hES Cell Growth and Differentiation P.I Donovan
The goal of this project is development of reliable methods for genetically modifying hES cells as a tool to
study their growth and differentiation as well as to develop methods for producing differentiated cell types for
further studies.
Role: Collaborator
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