Match tier Listed
Presence Current · Arkansas
Last published 2026
Sources OpenAlex · ORCID
Refreshed 2026-08-20
Melanie C MacNicol profile photo

Melanie C MacNicol

High Impact

Associate Professor

Also affiliated: Arkansas Children's Hospital (2002–2025); University of Chicago (1995–2000); Center for Neurosciences (2019); Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation (2008); Center for Translational Molecular Medicine (2019); Arkansas Department of Agriculture (2002–2011); Health and Human Development (2HD) Research Network (2019); Daiichi Sankyo (United States) (1995); Stanford University (1990–1992)

Faculty Researcher

Neurobiology & Developmental Science, College of Medicine

24 h-index 79 pubs 1,656 cited

  • Animals
  • Female
  • Mice
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • Humans
  • Signal Transduction
  • Protein Biosynthesis
  • Pituitary Gland
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Male
  • Oocytes
  • Cell Cycle
  • Leptin
  • Somatotrophs

Biography and Research Information

OverviewAI-generated summary

Melanie C MacNicol's research focuses on the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, particularly within the pituitary gland and its role in reproductive and metabolic processes. Her work investigates how RNA-binding proteins, such as Musashi, control the translation of specific messenger RNAs, influencing cell function and plasticity. This research is supported by multiple NIH grants totaling over $1.7 million, including funding to study the molecular mechanisms of pituitary plasticity and the impact of obesity on somatotrope function.

Her recent publications explore these themes through various biological models, including breast cancer cell lines and mouse models. Specific studies examine the role of Musashi proteins in regulating gonadotrope target mRNAs during the estrous cycle, the impact of oxidative stress on anterior pituitary transcriptomics following a high-fat diet, and how maternal undernutrition affects offspring gene expression. MacNicol also investigates mechanisms of pituitary cell plasticity through regulated mRNA translation, with recent work exploring the association of Musashi with LSM14B. Her scholarship metrics include an h-index of 23 and over 1,600 citations, with 78 total publications. She actively collaborates with researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Metrics

  • h-index: 24
  • Publications: 79
  • Citations: 1,656

Selected Publications

  • ELAVL1 and ELAVL4 Are Required for Musashi-Dependent Translational Activation (2026)
    Biomolecules DOI OpenAlex
  • ELAVL1 and ELAVL4 are required for Musashi-dependent translational activation (2026)
    bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) DOI OpenAlex
  • Gonadotrope remodeling in sustained low estrogen states: single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals gonadotrope subtypes and activation of stem cell populations (2026)
    Biology of Reproduction 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Secretogranin II–derived peptide secretoneurin differentially stimulates luteinizing hormone secretion by age and sex in ex vivo murine pituitaries (2026)
    Biology of Reproduction DOI OpenAlex
  • OR13-08 Secretoneurin Modulates Gonadotrope Function Cyclically to Regulate LH Secretion (2025)
    Journal of the Endocrine Society DOI OpenAlex
  • SAT-001 Impact of VCD-induced Menopause on Gonadotrope Transcriptomics Reveals Estrogen-dependent Genes in the GnRH Signaling Pathway (2025)
    Journal of the Endocrine Society DOI OpenAlex
  • SAT-016 Musashi Contributes to the Specification and Maintenance of Distinct Pituitary Cell Lineages. (2025)
    Journal of the Endocrine Society DOI OpenAlex
  • Evaluation of the Activity of Monensin and Its Analogs for Modulation of Stem-like Cell Functionality in 2D and 3D Breast Cancer Models (2025)
    ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • High fat diet-induced loss of pituitary plasticity in aging female mice with ablated leptin signaling in somatotropes (2025)
    Frontiers in Endocrinology 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Monensin and Its Analogs Exhibit Activity Against Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells in an Organoid Model (2025)
    bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) DOI OpenAlex
  • Musashi-dependent mRNA translational activation is mediated through association with the Scd6/Like-sm family member, LSM14B (2025)
    Scientific Reports 5 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Ablation of Leptin Receptor Signaling Alters Somatotrope Transcriptome Maturation in Female Mice (2025)
    Endocrinology 5 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • 8572 A 30% Maternal Caloric Restriction Alters Expression of Musashi Targets in the Neonatal and Adult Pituitary Proteomes of FVB Mice (2024)
    Journal of the Endocrine Society DOI OpenAlex
  • 8649 Ablation of Leptin Receptors in Somatotropes Impacts Transcriptomic Plasticity in the Pou1f1 Lineage of Female Pituitary Cells (2024)
    Journal of the Endocrine Society DOI OpenAlex
  • The Musashi RNA binding proteins direct the translational activation of key pituitary mRNAs (2024)
    Scientific Reports 8 citations DOI OpenAlex

View all publications on OpenAlex →

Federal Grants 3 $1,783,459 total

NIH Co-PI Sep 2024 - May 2029

Molecular mechanisms of pituitary plasticity

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases $632,231 R01
NIH Co-PI Jul 2021 - Jun 2026

The Impact of Obesity on Somatotrope Function

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases $549,786 R01
NIH Co-PI Sep 2018 - Jun 2025

Control of pituitary cell plasticity through regulated mRNA translation

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development $601,442 R01

Grants & Funding

As listed on this researcher's institutional profile. Federal awards with verified records are shown above.

  • Center for Translational Neuroscience NIH Co-Investigator
  • Maternal gene regulation in early vertebrate development NIH Co-Investigator
  • TEST OF THE RECEPTOR DOMAIN OF CAM KINASE IN VIVO NIH/NIGMS Principal Investigator
  • Tropic Roles for Leptin in the Maturation of Somatotropes NIH Co-Principal Investigator
  • Post-transcriptional Pathways that Signal Leptin Regulation of Gonadotropes NIH Co-Investigator

Collaboration Network

62 Collaborators 14 Institutions 4 Countries

Top Collaborators

View profile →
View profile →
View profile →
View profile →
View profile →
View profile →
View profile →
View profile →

Similar Researchers

Based on overlapping research topics