Barbara J. Meyer

Barbara J. Meyer is a biologist, noted for her pioneering research on lambda phage, a virus that infects bacteria; discovery of the master control gene involved in sex determination; and studies of gene regulation, particularly dosage compensation.

Biography

Meyer completed her undergraduate BS at Stanford University, working with David Clayton. She began her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley and completed it in 1979 at Harvard University in the lab of Mark Ptashne, working on gene regulation in lambda phage -- ultimately publishing thirteen papers as a graduate student. [http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/gender/meyer.html "Barbara J. Meyer, Ph.D."] , "HHMI: Biointeractive", Howard Hughes Medical Institute]

Meyer then did a postdoc at Cambridge University, in the MRC, in Sydney Brenner's lab, switching from bacteria to C. elegans, a roundworm. Still studying gene regulation, but turning to sex determination, Meyer discovered the master gene involved in sex determination.

Meyer was tenured at M.I.T.. She accepted a full faculty appointment at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1990.

Meyer is married to fellow biologist Tom Cline. [http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/gender/meyer.html "Barbara J. Meyer, Ph.D."] , "HHMI: Biointeractive", Howard Hughes Medical Institute]

Notable papers

* Clustered DNA Motifs Mark X Chromosomes for Repression by a Dosage Compensation Complex. [P. McDonel, J. Jans, B. Peterson, B. Meyer (2006) Nature 444, 614-618]
* Sperm Chromatin Proteomics Identifies Evolutionarily Conserved Fertility Factors. [D. Chu, H. Liu, P. Nix, T. Wu, E. Ralston, J. Yates, B. Meyer (2006) Nature 443, 101-105]
* "Vive la difference: males vs females in flies vs worms" (Review article), TW Cline, BJ Meyer - Annu. Rev. Genet, 1996
* Barbara J. Meyer, Dennis G. Kleid, and Mark Ptashne, "Lambda Repressor Turns Off Transcription of Its Own Gene", "PNAS", v.72, n.12, pp. 4785-4789 (Dec. 1975).

Awards

* 2000 - Member, National Academy of Sciences [ [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/97/10/5037 "New Members and Foreign Associates Elected to the National Academy of Sciences on May 2, 2000"] , "PNAS", v.97, n.10, pp. 5037-5038 (May 9, 2000).]
* Elected Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
* Elected Member, American Academy of Microbiology

References

* [http://mcb.berkeley.edu/faculty/GEN/meyerb.html Barbara Meyer faculty profile] , UC Berkeley
* [http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/gender/meyer.html "Barbara J. Meyer, Ph.D."] , "HHMI: Biointeractive", Howard Hughes Medical Institute
* [http://www.wormbase.org/db/misc/person?name=WBPerson421;class=Person Wormbase profile]
* [http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/gender/whoswho.html "Who's Who in Sex-Determination Research"] , Howard Hughes Medical Institute
* [http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/meyer.html "Sex and Repression"] , Barbara Meyer profile at HHMI

Footnotes

External links

* [http://mcb.berkeley.edu/labs/meyer/ Meyer Lab website]