Margaret McFall-Ngai

Last updated
Margaret McFall-Ngai
Margaret McFall-Ngai devant sa distinction de dotoresse honoris causa.jpg
Born
Margaret Jean McFall-Ngai
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of San Francisco
University of California, Los Angeles
Known for Host-bacterial symbiosis
'Design' of tissues that interact with light
Scientific career
Fields Biology
Institutions Caltech
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Southern California
Thesis  (1983)
Doctoral advisor James Morin
Other academic advisorsJoseph Horwitz
George Somero
Website http://glowingsquid.org/

Margaret McFall-Ngai (born 1951) is an American animal physiologist and biochemist [1] best-known for her work related to the symbiotic relationship between Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes and bioluminescent bacteria, Vibrio fischeri . Her research helped expand the microbiology field, primarily focused on pathogenicity and decomposition at the time, to include positive microbial associations. [2] [3] [4] She has been a professor at PBRC’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory [5] and director of the Pacific Biosciences Research Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. [6] However, in 2022, she moved her laboratory to Caltech, in Pasadena, California. [7]

Contents

Education and career

McFall-Ngai spent her childhood in Southern California and attended Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. [3] She attended college at the University of San Francisco, graduating in 1973 with a Bachelors of Science in biology. [3] She chose to further her education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with doctoral advisor, James Morin, studying functional morphology and comparative physiology [8] while working as a teaching assistant/fellow. [5] Her graduate research took her to the central Philippines to study the relationship between bioluminescent bacteria found in the leiognathid light organ in fish, [9] [10] igniting her “lifelong interest” [3] in the blend of the two subjects. McFall-Ngai graduated with her Ph.D. in Biology in 1983 and went on to complete two postdoctoral fellowships. [6] For her first postdoc, she remained at UCLA working on protein biochemistry-biophysics [8] for the Jules Stein Eye Institute with advisor, Joseph Horwitz. [5] She then moved to San Diego to work with advisor George Somero on protein chemistry enzymology [8] at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. [5] On the side McFall-Ngai had been exploring the Hawaiian bobtail squid as an alternative to the fish she had studied in graduate school and initiated what would become a career-long collaboration with microbiologist, Edward (Ned) Ruby, who had written his dissertation on the squids’ symbionts, Vibrio fischeri . [1]

In 1989 McFall-Ngai accepted a position and later received tenure at the University of Southern California in the Department of Biology and began breeding and studying the Hawaiian bobtail squid. [2] She and Ruby moved to Hawaii in 1996 to better study the squid-bacteria relationship, both accepting positions at Pacific Biomedical Research Center at the University of Hawaii. [6] In 2004, McFall-Ngai accepted a position as professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Eye Research institute. [11] She returned to Hawaii in 2015 when she accepted the position as director of the Pacific Biosciences Research Program [6] and professor at PBRC’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. [5]

Research

McFall-Ngai is a pioneer in the study of animal-bacterial symbiosis and known for her research of the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes , and its relationship with bacteria, Vibrio fischeri . She initially began her research in graduate school studying fish with a similar bioluminescent bacterial relationship, [9] [10] however, these fish proved difficult to grow in the lab. At a meeting, a visiting researcher from the University of Hawaii suggested she investigate the Hawaiian bobtail squid and its bioluminescent symbionts V. fischeri as an alternative. [1] McFall-Ngai found that the squid worked great in the lab with 8-10 pairs of squid generating roughly 60,000 juveniles a year. [2] To fully study this relationship, McFall-Ngai began collaborating with Edward (Ned) Ruby, a microbiologist who had written his dissertation on V. fischeri. [1]

Over the next three decades, McFall-Ngai, Ruby, and dozens of postdocs and students would investigate all aspects of the symbiotic relationship. [12] They worked to understand the development of the relationship at different stages of the squid life cycle, [13] [14] analyze the initiation of symbiosis in real time, [15] [16] and identify how the host selects its symbionts. [17] [18] [19] They learned that the squid follows a rhythmic pattern in which the bacteria are brightest when the squid hunt at night [20] and are then expelled at dawn. [21] [22] As analysis tools advanced, Ruby and McFall-Ngai were able to map transcriptional patterns and identify related genes that control the squid's rhythmic behaviors and symbiotic relationship. [23] [24] The sum of their Hawaiian bobtail squid research is an extremely well defined model organism fit for studying bacterial symbioses, light interacting tissues, and cephalopod development. [25]

Awards and honors

Source: [5]

Society fellowships (elected)

Notable publications

Biographic profiles

Interviews

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Hawaiian Bobtail Squid: Using Light to Hide in the Dark—Dr. Margaret Mc-Fall Ngai—The Squid Vibrio Labs". FutureTech Podcast. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Yong, E (15 January 2015). "Microbiology: Here's looking at you, squid". Nature. 517 (7534): 262–4. Bibcode:2015Natur.517..262Y. doi: 10.1038/517262a . PMID   25592518.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Viegas, Jennifer (2017-08-22). "Profile of Margaret J. McFall-Ngai". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114 (36): 9494–9496. Bibcode:2017PNAS..114.9494V. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1713158114 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   5594705 . PMID   28830998.
  4. "Margaret McFall-Ngai". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McFall-Ngai, Margaret. "McFall-Ngai CV" (PDF). Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 McFall-Ngai, Margaret. "Margaret McFall-Ngai, PH.D". Pacific Biosciences Research Center. Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  7. "Glowing Squid | Home page". www.glowingsquid.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  8. 1 2 3 Amato, Katherine. "Q&A With Margaret McFall-Ngai".
  9. 1 2 McFall-Ngai, Margaret (April 1983). "Three new modes of luminescence in the leiognathid fish Gazza minuta: Discrete projected luminescence, ventral body flash, and buccal luminescence". Marine Biology. 73 (3): 227–237. doi:10.1007/BF00392247. S2CID   84813290.
  10. 1 2 McFall-Ngai, Margaret (July 1983). "Adaptations for reflection of bioluminescent light in the gas bladder of Leiognathus equulus (Perciformes: Leiognathidae)". Journal of Experimental Zoology. 227 (1): 23–33. doi:10.1002/jez.1402270105. PMID   6619765.
  11. "Margaret J. McFall-Ngai, PH.D". McPherson Eye Research Institute. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  12. McFall-Ngai, M (February 2014). "Divining the essence of symbiosis: insights from the squid-vibrio model". PLOS Biology. 12 (2): e1001783. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001783 . PMC   3913551 . PMID   24504482.
  13. Montgomery, MK; McFall-Ngai, M (June 1993). "Embryonic Development of the Light Organ of the Sepiolid Squid Euprymna scolopes Berry". The Biological Bulletin. 184 (3): 296–308. doi:10.2307/1542448. JSTOR   1542448. PMID   29300543.
  14. Montgomery, MK; McFall-Ngai, M (July 1994). "Bacterial symbionts induce host organ morphogenesis during early postembryonic development of the squid Euprymna scolopes". Development. 120 (7): 1719–29. doi:10.1242/dev.120.7.1719. PMID   7924980.
  15. Nyholm, SV; Stabb, EV; Ruby, EG; McFall-Ngai, MJ (29 August 2000). "Establishment of an animal-bacterial association: recruiting symbiotic vibrios from the environment". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 97 (18): 10231–5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.97.18.10231 . PMC   27829 . PMID   10963683.
  16. Foster, JS; McFall-Ngai, MJ (August 1998). "Induction of apoptosis by cooperative bacteria in the morphogenesis of host epithelial tissues". Development Genes and Evolution. 208 (6): 295–303. doi:10.1007/s004270050185. PMID   9716720. S2CID   24818919.
  17. Altura, MA; Heath-Heckman, EA; Gillette, A; Kremer, N; Krachler, AM; Brennan, C; Ruby, EG; Orth, K; McFall-Ngai, MJ (November 2013). "The first engagement of partners in the Euprymna scolopes-Vibrio fischeri symbiosis is a two-step process initiated by a few environmental symbiont cells". Environmental Microbiology. 15 (11): 2937–50. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.12179. PMC   3937295 . PMID   23819708.
  18. Visick, KL (November 2009). "An intricate network of regulators controls biofilm formation and colonization by Vibrio fischeri". Molecular Microbiology. 74 (4): 782–9. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06899.x. PMC   2906375 . PMID   19818022.
  19. Wollenberg, MS; Ruby, EG (January 2009). "Population structure of Vibrio fischeri within the light organs of Euprymna scolopes squid from Two Oahu (Hawaii) populations". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 75 (1): 193–202. Bibcode:2009ApEnM..75..193W. doi:10.1128/AEM.01792-08. PMC   2612210 . PMID   18997024.
  20. Boettcher, K.J.; Ruby, E.G.; McFall-Ngai, M.J. (July 1996). "Bioluminescence in the symbiotic squid Euprymna scolopes is controlled by a daily biological rhythm". Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 179 (1). doi:10.1007/BF00193435. S2CID   28096354.
  21. Graf, J; Ruby, EG (17 February 1998). "Host-derived amino acids support the proliferation of symbiotic bacteria". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 95 (4): 1818–22. Bibcode:1998PNAS...95.1818G. doi: 10.1073/pnas.95.4.1818 . PMC   19196 . PMID   9465100.
  22. Heath-Heckman, Elizabeth A. C.; Peyer, Suzanne M.; Whistler, Cheryl A.; Apicella, Michael A.; Goldman, William E.; McFall-Ngai, Margaret J.; Handelsman, Jo (2 April 2013). "Bacterial Bioluminescence Regulates Expression of a Host Cryptochrome Gene in the Squid-Vibrio Symbiosis". mBio. 4 (2). doi:10.1128/mBio.00167-13. PMC   3622930 . PMID   23549919.
  23. Wier, AM; Nyholm, SV; Mandel, MJ; Massengo-Tiassé, RP; Schaefer, AL; Koroleva, I; Splinter-Bondurant, S; Brown, B; Manzella, L; Snir, E; Almabrazi, H; Scheetz, TE; Bonaldo Mde, F; Casavant, TL; Soares, MB; Cronan, JE; Reed, JL; Ruby, EG; McFall-Ngai, MJ (2 February 2010). "Transcriptional patterns in both host and bacterium underlie a daily rhythm of anatomical and metabolic change in a beneficial symbiosis". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 107 (5): 2259–64. Bibcode:2010PNAS..107.2259W. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0909712107 . PMC   2836665 . PMID   20133870.
  24. Kremer, N; Philipp, EE; Carpentier, MC; Brennan, CA; Kraemer, L; Altura, MA; Augustin, R; Häsler, R; Heath-Heckman, EA; Peyer, SM; Schwartzman, J; Rader, BA; Ruby, EG; Rosenstiel, P; McFall-Ngai, MJ (14 August 2013). "Initial symbiont contact orchestrates host-organ-wide transcriptional changes that prime tissue colonization". Cell Host & Microbe. 14 (2): 183–94. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2013.07.006. PMC   3928804 . PMID   23954157.
  25. Lee, PN; McFall-Ngai, MJ; Callaerts, P; de Couet, HG (November 2009). "The Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes): a model to study the molecular basis of eukaryote-prokaryote mutualism and the development and evolution of morphological novelties in cephalopods". Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. 2009 (11): pdb.emo135. doi:10.1101/pdb.emo135. PMID   20150047.
  26. 1 2 "Margaret McFall-Ngai". The Squid Vibrio Labs. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  27. "News 2019". The Squid Vibrio Labs. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  28. McFall-Ngai, Margaret (January 2007). "Care for the community". Nature. 445 (7124): 153. Bibcode:2007Natur.445..153M. doi: 10.1038/445153a . ISSN   0028-0836. PMID   17215830. S2CID   9273396.
  29. McFall-Ngai, Margaret; Hadfield, Michael G.; Bosch, Thomas C. G.; Carey, Hannah V.; Domazet-Lošo, Tomislav; Douglas, Angela E.; Dubilier, Nicole; Eberl, Gerard; Fukami, Tadashi (2013-02-26). "Animals in a bacterial world, a new imperative for the life sciences". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110 (9): 3229–3236. Bibcode:2013PNAS..110.3229M. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1218525110 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   3587249 . PMID   23391737.
  30. Nyholm, Spencer V.; McFall-Ngai, Margaret (August 2004). "The winnowing: establishing the squid–vibrio symbiosis". Nature Reviews Microbiology. 2 (8): 632–642. doi:10.1038/nrmicro957. ISSN   1740-1526. PMID   15263898. S2CID   21583331.
  31. McFall-Ngai, Margaret J. (2002-02-01). "Unseen Forces: The Influence of Bacteria on Animal Development". Developmental Biology. 242 (1): 1–14. doi: 10.1006/dbio.2001.0522 . ISSN   0012-1606. PMID   11795936.
  32. Montgomery, M. K.; McFall-Ngai, M. (1994-07-01). "Bacterial symbionts induce host organ morphogenesis during early postembryonic development of the squid Euprymna scolopes" . Development. 120 (7): 1719–1729. doi:10.1242/dev.120.7.1719. ISSN   0950-1991. PMID   7924980. Archived from the original on 2017-08-20. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  33. Crookes, Wendy J.; Ding, Lin-Lin; Huang, Qing Ling; Kimbell, Jennifer R.; Horwitz, Joseph; McFall-Ngai, Margaret J. (2004-01-09). "Reflectins: The Unusual Proteins of Squid Reflective Tissues". Science. 303 (5655): 235–238. Bibcode:2004Sci...303..235C. doi:10.1126/science.1091288. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   14716016. S2CID   44490101.
  34. Visick, K. L.; Foster, J.; Doino, J.; McFall-Ngai, M.; Ruby, E. G. (August 2000). "Vibrio fischeri lux genes play an important role in colonization and development of the host light organ". Journal of Bacteriology. 182 (16): 4578–4586. doi:10.1128/JB.182.16.4578-4586.2000. ISSN   0021-9193. PMC   94630 . PMID   10913092.
  35. Yong, Ed (14 January 2015). "Here's looking at you, squid". Nature. 517 (7534): 262–264. Bibcode:2015Natur.517..262Y. doi: 10.1038/517262a . PMID   25592518.
  36. Viegas, Jennifer (5 September 2017). "Profile of Margaret J. McFall-Ngai". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 114 (36): 9494–9496. Bibcode:2017PNAS..114.9494V. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1713158114 . PMC   5594705 . PMID   28830998.
  37. Yong, Ed (2016). I contain multitudes: the microbes within us and a grander view of life. Random House. ISBN   9780062368591.
  38. Brown, Brandon (2012-07-07). "The Extra Pounds You Can't Afford to Lose: An Interview With Microbiologist Margaret McFall-Ngai". HuffPost. Retrieved 5 December 2019.