James Birchler
Born
Red Bud, Illinois[1]
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationEastern Illinois University, Indiana University[1]
Known forGene dosage, Minichromosomes
Scientific career
FieldsGenetics, Plant Biology, Cytology
InstitutionsHarvard University, University of Missouri
Thesis"Biochemical studies on aneuploids of Zea mays L." (1977)
Doctoral advisorDrew Schwartz
Websiteipg.missouri.edu/faculty/birchler.cfm

James A. Birchler is an American biologist who is currently Curators' Professor at University of Missouri where he studies gene dosage, polyploidy, and cytogenetics in both maize and drosophila. In 2002 he was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[2] and in 2011 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.[3][1] In 2017 he was named the SEC Professor of the Year.[4]

Early life and education

Birchler was born on a farm near Red Bud, Illinois. He attended Eastern Illinois University where he initially majored in education and was mentored by ethnobotanist Charles Arzeni. After completing his degree at EIU in 1972, ultimately majoring in biology with a minor in zoology, he moved to Indiana University where he studied maize dosage effects using B chromosomes with Drew Schwartz, graduating in 1977.[5] Between 1978 and 1985 he worked as a postdoc studying gene dosage mechanisms in fruit flies, first at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with Ed Grell, and then at the University of California, Berkeley with Kenneth Paigen. In 1985 he was hired as an assistant professor at Harvard University, and in 1991 he moved to the University of Missouri.[1]

Research

Birchler is known for his contributions to the study of gene dosage, dosage compensation, and gene balance using both maize (Zea mays) and fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) as model organisms.[3] He is also known for his lab's contributions to maize karyotyping by "chromosome painting" or fluorescence in situ hybridization. Birchler and his lab have also leveraged this tool and maize B-A chromosomal translocations to study the function and inactivation of centromeres. Birchler's lab also developed the first engineered minichromosomes in plants, by using telomere repeat sequences to truncate B chromosomes in maize.[6] James A. Birchler also developed Fast-Flowering Mini-Maize[7] as a small, rapid-cycling model for maize.

Recognition

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ahmed, Farooq (2013-02-19). "Profile of James A. Birchler". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110 (8): 2687–2689. Bibcode:2013PNAS..110.2687A. doi:10.1073/pnas.1221539110. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 3581877. PMID 23345423.
  2. 1 2 "James Birchler". aaas.org. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "James Birchler". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  4. ↑ "Missouri's James Birchler Named 2017 SEC Professor of the Year | SECU". www.thesecu.com. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  5. ↑ Frank, Margaret; Harkess, Alex; Washburn, Jacob (2019). "James A. Birchler". The Plant Cell. 31 (10): 2277–2280. doi:10.1105/tpc.19.00489. PMC 6790089. PMID 31266846.
  6. ↑ Yu, Weichang; Yau, Yuan-Yeu; Birchler, James A. (2015-09-15). "Plant artificial chromosome technology and its potential application in genetic engineering". Plant Biotechnology Journal. 14 (5): 1175–1182. doi:10.1111/pbi.12466. ISSN 1467-7644. PMID 26369910.
  7. ↑ McCaw, Morgan E.; Wallace, Jason G.; Albert, Patrice S.; Buckler, Edward S.; Birchler, James A. (2016-01-01). "Fast-Flowering Mini-Maize: Seed to Seed in 60 Days". Genetics. 204 (1): 35–42. doi:10.1534/genetics.116.191726. ISSN 0016-6731. PMC 5012399. PMID 27440866.
  8. ↑ "Search Fellows - National Academy of Inventors". academyofinventors.org. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  9. ↑ "Einstein Professorship awarded to James Birchler by Chinese Academy of Sciences".
  10. ↑ "Missouri's James Birchler Named 2017 SEC Professor of the Year | SECU". www.thesecu.com. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  11. ↑ "MU's James Birchler will receive prestigious Barbara McClintock Prize in 2020 | Division of Biological Sciences | University of Missouri". Archived from the original on 2020-02-23. Retrieved 2020-06-13.


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