Merlin Crossley

Professor Merlin Crossley is an Australian molecular biologist, university teacher and administrator. In 2016 he was appointed as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).[1]

Early life and career

He attended Mount View Primary School, Glen Waverley, Victoria, then was awarded an entrance scholarship to Melbourne Grammar School, where he was dux. He undertook a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, as a resident of Queen's College (University of Melbourne), then a doctorate at the University of Oxford supported by a Rhodes Scholarship at Magdalen College, Oxford.[2] He worked at Oxford, Harvard and the University of Sydney, before moving to UNSW as Dean of Science.[3]

Research

Crossley is interested in gene regulation. He studied an unusual genetic disorder termed Haemophilia B Leyden where patients recover after puberty.[4] The condition results from mutations that disrupt the control region of the clotting factor IX gene.[5][6] A testosterone responsive element accounts for post-pubertal recovery.[7] He has also investigated abnormal patterns of globin gene expression and his work on mutations associated with the lifelong expression of the foetal haemoglobin gene may help in the treatment of thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia.[8] He is using CRISPR-mediated gene editing to introduce beneficial mutations in cell lines as models for treating genetic diseases.[9][10]

He is also known for the initial identification and cloning of a significant number of genes encoding DNA-binding proteins and their associated co-regulators, KLF3,[11] KLF8,[12] KLF17,[13] EOS IKZF4,[14] PEGASUS,[15] FOG1 ZFPM1,[16] FOG2 ZFPM2,[17] and CTBP2.[18]

Other activities

He has contributed numerous articles on molecular genetics and education to newspapers and media outlets such as The Conversation (website)[19] and has promoted science communication, for instance as a member of the judging panel for the annual anthology Best Australian Science Writing.[20] He is Deputy Director of the Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC),[21] and serves on the Trust of the Australian Museum[22] and the Board of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.[23]

Honours and awards

References
  1. "Merlin Crossley appointed UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor". unsw.edu.au.
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20131106034818/http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/about/rhodes-scholars/rhodes-scholars-complete-list. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "New Dean of Science appointed".
  4. Funnell, AP; Crossley, M (January 2014). "Hemophilia B Leyden and once mysterious cis-regulatory mutations". Trends in Genetics. 30 (1): 18–23. doi:10.1016/j.tig.2013.09.007. PMID 24138812.
  5. Crossley, M; Brownlee, GG (May 1990). "Disruption of a C/EBP binding site in the factor IX promoter is associated with haemophilia B". Nature. 345 (6274): 444–6. Bibcode:1990Natur.345..444C. doi:10.1038/345444a0. PMID 2342576.
  6. Funnell, AP; Wilson, MD; Ballester, B; Mak, KS; Burdach, J; Magan, N; Pearson, RC; Lemaigre, FP; Stowell, KM; Odom, DT; Flicek, P; Crossley, M (March 2013). "A CpG mutational hotspot in a ONECUT binding site accounts for the prevalent variant of hemophilia B Leyden". American Journal of Human Genetics. 92 (3): 460–7. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.02.003. PMC 3591849. PMID 23472758.
  7. Crossley, M; Ludwig, M; Stowell, KM; De Vos, P; Olek, K; Brownlee, GG (July 1992). "Recovery from hemophilia B Leyden: an androgen-responsive element in the factor IX promoter". Science. 257 (5068): 377–9. Bibcode:1992Sci...257..377C. doi:10.1126/science.1631558. PMID 1631558.
  8. Wienert, B; Funnell, AP; Norton, LJ; Pearson, RC; Wilkinson-White, LE; Lester, K; Vadolas, J; Porteus, MH; Matthews, JM; Quinlan, KG; Crossley, M (May 2015). "Editing the genome to introduce a beneficial naturally occurring mutation associated with increased fetal globin". Nature Communications. 6 (7085): 377–9. Bibcode:2015NatCo...6.7085W. doi:10.1038/ncomms8085. PMID 25971621.
  9. "Turning the tables: using genetic mutations to fix nature's problems". theconversation.com.
  10. "Crossley Lab UNSW Science". unsw.edu.au.
  11. Crossley, M; Whitelaw, E; Perkins, A; Williams, G; Fujiwara, Y; Orkin, SH (April 1996). "Isolation and characterization of the cDNA encoding BKLF/TEF-2, a major CACCC-box-binding protein in erythroid cells and selected other cells" (PDF). Mol. Cell. Biol. 16 (4): 1695–705. doi:10.1128/mcb.16.4.1695. PMC 231156. PMID 8657145.
  12. van Vliet, J; Turner, J; Crossley, M (May 2000). "Human Krüppel-like factor 8: a CACCC-box binding protein that associates with CtBP and represses transcription". Nucleic Acids Research. 28 (9): 1955–62. doi:10.1093/nar/28.9.1955. PMC 103308. PMID 10756197.
  13. van Vliet, J; Crofts, LA; Quinlan, KG; Czolij, R; Perkins, AC; Crossley, M (April 2006). "Human KLF17 is a new member of the Sp/KLF family of transcription factors". Genomics. 87 (4): 474–82. doi:10.1016/j.ygeno.2005.12.011. PMID 16460907.
  14. Perdomo, J; Holmes, M; Chong, B; Crossley, M (December 2000). "Eos and pegasus, two members of the Ikaros family of proteins with distinct DNA binding activities". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 275 (49): 38347–54. doi:10.1074/jbc.M005457200. PMID 10978333.
  15. Perdomo, J; Holmes, M; Chong, B; Crossley, M (December 2000). "Eos and pegasus, two members of the Ikaros family of proteins with distinct DNA binding activities". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 275 (49): 38347–54. doi:10.1074/jbc.M005457200. PMID 10978333.
  16. Tsang, AP; Visvader, JE; Turner, CA; et al. (July 1997). "FOG, a multitype zinc finger protein, acts as a cofactor for transcription factor GATA-1 in erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation". Cell. 90 (1): 109–19. doi:10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80318-9. PMID 9230307.
  17. Holmes, M; Turner, J; Fox, A; Chisholm, O; Crossley, M; Chong, B (August 1999). "hFOG-2, a novel zinc finger protein, binds the co-repressor mCtBP2 and modulates GATA-mediated activation". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 274 (33): 23491–890. doi:10.1074/jbc.274.33.23491. PMID 10438528.
  18. Turner, J; Crossley, M (September 1998). "Cloning and characterization of mCtBP2, a co-repressor that associates with basic Krüppel-like factor and other mammalian transcriptional regulators". EMBO Journal. 17 (17): 5129–40. doi:10.1093/emboj/17.17.5129. PMC 1170841. PMID 9724649.
  19. "theconversation.com/profiles/merlin-crossley-22601/articles". theconversation.com.
  20. "The Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing". newsouthpublishing.com.
  21. "Board members - AusSMC - Australian Science Media Centre". www.smc.org.au.
  22. "Australian Museum Trustees". australianmuseum.net.au.
  23. "SIMS is a collaboration which is stronger than its individual parts/articles". sims.org.au.
  24. "Fellows - The Royal Society of NSW". royalsoc.org.au.
  25. College, Queen's. "Fellows - Queen's College - The University of Melbourne - Queen's College - The University of Melbourne". www.queens.unimelb.edu.au.
  26. http://www.lornegenome.asnevents.com.au/index84bb.html?option=com_content&view=article&id=38&Itemid=29%5B%5D
  27. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  29. "Medalists". asbmb.org.au.
  30. https://web.archive.org/web/20131106034818/http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/about/rhodes-scholars/rhodes-scholars-complete-list. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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