Melanie Clair Macnicol

High Impact

Associate Professor

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

faculty

Neurobiology & Developmental Science, College of Medicine

23 h-index 74 pubs 1,515 cited

Research Areas

RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms Diet and metabolism studies Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling Metabolism and Genetic Disorders Neuroscience and Neural Engineering Reproductive Biology and Fertility Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications

Links

ORCID Lab Website UAMS TRI Profile

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OverviewAI-generated summary

Melanie Clair Macnicol studies molecular mechanisms regulating gene expression and cellular function, with a focus on the pituitary gland and its role in reproduction and metabolism. Her research investigates how RNA-binding proteins, specifically Musashi proteins, control the translation of key mRNAs in pituitary cells. This work has shed light on post-transcriptional regulation as a critical checkpoint for metabolic control of female reproduction, particularly concerning gonadotrope and somatotrope cell function.

Macnicol's federally funded research, totaling over $1.7 million from the NIH, explores the molecular mechanisms of pituitary plasticity and the impact of obesity on somatotrope function. Her work has also examined how maternal undernutrition affects offspring transcript changes and the potential for altered responses to high-fat diets. Collaborating extensively with researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, including Angus M. MacNicol, Gwen V. Childs, Angela K. Odle, and Anessa Haney, she has authored numerous shared publications. Her scholarship is recognized by a high-impact researcher designation, with an h-index of 23 and over 1,500 citations across 74 publications.

Metrics

h-index: 23
Publications: 74
Citations: 1,515

Selected Publications

OR13-08 Secretoneurin Modulates Gonadotrope Function Cyclically to Regulate LH Secretion (2025) DOI
SAT-001 Impact of VCD-induced Menopause on Gonadotrope Transcriptomics Reveals Estrogen-dependent Genes in the GnRH Signaling Pathway (2025) DOI
SAT-016 Musashi Contributes to the Specification and Maintenance of Distinct Pituitary Cell Lineages. (2025) DOI
Evaluation of the Activity of Monensin and Its Analogs for Modulation of Stem-like Cell Functionality in 2D and 3D Breast Cancer Models (2025) DOI
High fat diet-induced loss of pituitary plasticity in aging female mice with ablated leptin signaling in somatotropes (2025) DOI
Monensin and Its Analogs Exhibit Activity Against Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells in an Organoid Model (2025) DOI
Musashi-dependent mRNA translational activation is mediated through association with the Scd6/Like-sm family member, LSM14B (2025) DOI
Ablation of Leptin Receptor Signaling Alters Somatotrope Transcriptome Maturation in Female Mice (2025) DOI
8572 A 30% Maternal Caloric Restriction Alters Expression of Musashi Targets in the Neonatal and Adult Pituitary Proteomes of FVB Mice (2024) DOI
8649 Ablation of Leptin Receptors in Somatotropes Impacts Transcriptomic Plasticity in the Pou1f1 Lineage of Female Pituitary Cells (2024) DOI
The Musashi RNA binding proteins direct the translational activation of key pituitary mRNAs (2024) DOI
Maternal undernutrition results in transcript changes in male offspring that may promote resistance to high fat diet induced weight gain (2024) DOI
Anterior Pituitary Transcriptomics Following a High-Fat Diet: Impact of Oxidative Stress on Cell Metabolism (2023) DOI
FRI291 Musashi1 And Musashi2 Mark Distinct Pituitary Stem Cell Populations (2023) DOI
FRI290 Proteomic Identification Of Secretoneurin-Stimulated Proteins In Purified Mouse Gonadotropes (2023) DOI

Federal Grants 3 $1,788,568 total

NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Co-PI Sep 2024 - May 2029

Molecular mechanisms of pituitary plasticity

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases $637,340 R01

NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 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/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 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

Center for Translational Neuroscience NIH Co-Investigator
Control of pituitary cell plasticity through regulated mRNA translation NIH Principal Investigator
Molecular mechanisms of pituitary plasticity NIH/Nat. Inst. of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases Principal Investigator
Molecular mechanisms of pituitary plasticity NIH/Nat. Inst. of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases Principal Investigator
Maternal gene regulation in early vertebrate development NIH Co-Investigator
Molecular mechanisms of pituitary plasticity NIH/Nat. Inst. of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases Principal Investigator
TEST OF THE RECEPTOR DOMAIN OF CAM KINASE IN VIVO NIH/NIGMS Principal Investigator
The Impact of Obesity on Somatotrope Function NIH Co-Principal Investigator