Toward a More Precise and Informative Nomenclature Describing Fetal and Neonatal Male Germ Cells in Rodents

John R. McCarrey

Current Position: Robert and Helen Kleberg Distinguished Chair in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas San Antonio; Scientist, Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Cellular & Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio; Scientist, Department of Comparative Medicine, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research; Affiliate Scientist, Southwest National Primate Research Center; Director, San Antonio Cellular Therapeutics Institute, San Antonio, Texas.

Education: B.S. in Animal Science and M.S. and Ph.D. in Genetics, University of California–Davis, Davis, California; Postdoctoral Fellow (Dr. Susumu Ohno), City of Hope, Duarte, California.

Research Interests: Dr. McCarrey's research interests focus on the development, differentiation, and function of mammalian germ cells. He discovered the first example of a functional, germ cell-specific retroposon in the human genome. He has published several papers on mechanisms that regulate germ cell-specific gene expression in mammals. He has also published several papers on mechanisms of epigenetic programming that function during germ cell development and gametogenesis, and in stem cells. Additional research interests include mechanisms governing X-chromosome activity in germ cells and early embryos, mechanisms governing genetic integrity in germ cells and stem cells, the effects of cloning and assisted reproductive technologies on genetic integrity, and the development of nonhuman primate model systems for studies of stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Most recently, he has focused on mechanisms involved in the induction of epimutations by environmental disruptions, including the use of assisted reproductive technologies, and the extent to which these are reprogrammed in the mammalian germ line.