Dr. Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

Lab information

Research Interests

Symbiotic associations between animals and prokaryotes:

Signaling between partners during establishment and maintenance of a symbiosis.
The influence of bacteria on animal development.
The evolution of animal-bacterial interactions.

The ‘design’ of tissues that interact with light:

The biochemical basis of transparency and reflectivity.

Academic Training

1973, BS in Biology, University of San Francisco
1983, Ph.D. in Biology, UCLA
1984-1986, Postdoctoral Fellow, Jules Stein Eye Inst, UCLA
1986-1988, Postdoctoral Fellow, Scripps Inst of Oceanography, UC San Diego

Recent Research Papers – NCBI PubMed search for "M.J. McFall-Ngai"

Goodson, MS, M Kojadinovic, JV Troll, and MJ McFall-Ngai. In press. Identifying components of the NF-DB pathway in the beneficial Euprymna scolopes-Vibrio fischeri light organ symbiosis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.

Davidson, S. K., T. A. Koropatnick, R. Kossmehl, L. Sycuro, M. J. McFall-Ngai. 2004. NO means ‘yes’ in the squid-vibrio sy mbiosis: nitric oxide (NO) during the initial stages of a beneficial association. Cell Microbiol., 6(12):1139-51.

Koropatnick, T. A., J. T. Engle, M. A. Apicella, E. V. Stabb, W. E. Goldman, M. J. McFall-Ngai. 2004. Microbial Factor-Mediated Development in a Host-Bacterial Mutualism. Science, 306(5699):1186-8.

Kimbell, JR and MJ McFall-Ngai, 2004. Symbiont-induced changes in host actin during the onset of a Beneficial animal-bacteria association. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70:1434-1441

Crookes, WJ, LL Ding, QL Huang, JR Kimbell, J Horwitz, and MJ McFall-Ngai. 2004. Reflectins: The unusual proteins of squid reflective tissues. Science. 303:235-238.

Nyholm, SV and MJ McFall-Ngai. 2003. Dominance of Vibrio fischeri in secreted mucus outside the light organ of Euprymna scolopes: the first site of symbiont specificity. Appl. Environ. Micrbiol. 69:3932-3937.

Nyholm, SV, B DePlanke, HR Gaskins, M Apicella, and MJ McFall-Ngai. 2002. The roles of symbiotic and nonsymbiotic bacteria in the dynamics of mucus secretion during symbiont colonization of the Euprymna scolopes light organ. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68:5113-5122.

Foster, JS, MA Apicella, and MJ McFall-Ngai. 2000. Vibrio fischeri lipopolysaccharide induces developmental apoptosis, but not complete morphogenesis, of the Euprymna scolopes symbiotic light organ. Dev. Biol. 226:242-254.

Nyholm, SV, EV Stabb, EG Ruby and MJ McFall-Ngai. 2000. Establishment of an animal-bacterial association: recruiting symbiotic vibrios from the environment. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 97:10231-10294.

Other Publications

Nyholm, S. V., M. J. McFall-Ngai. 2004. The Winnowing: Establishing the Squid–Vibrio Symbiosis. Nat. Rev. Microbiol., 2(8):632-42.

Ruby, EG, B Henderson, MJ McFall-Ngai. 2004. We get by with a little help from our (little) friends. A Perspective (meeting report). Science. 303:1305-1307.

McFall-Ngai, MJ, B Henderson, and EG Ruby. In Press. The Influence of Cooperative Bacteria on Animal Host Biology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

McFall-Ngai, MJ. In Press. The interface of microbiology and immunology: a comparative analysis of the animal kingdom. The Influence of Cooperative Bacteria on Animal Host Biology, eds., McFall-Ngai MJ, B Henderson, and EG Ruby, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

McFall-Ngai, MJ and JI Gordon. In Press. Experimental models of symbiotic host-microbial relationships: understanding the underpinnings of beneficence and the origins of pathogenesis. Evolution of Microbial Virulence, eds., Seifert, H, and V DiRita, ASM Press, Washington DC.

McFall-Ngai, MJ. 2002. Unseen forces: the influence of bacteria on animal development. Dev. Biol. 242:1-14.