Merlin Crossley Explained

Merlin Crossley, [1] is an Australian molecular biologist, university teacher, and administrator. He is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Academic Quality at the University of New South Wales.[2]

Early life and career

Crossley 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.[3] He worked at Oxford, Harvard and the University of Sydney, before moving to UNSW as Dean of Science.[4] In recognition of his service on the Trust of the Australian Museum a new species of butterfly bobtail squid was named in his honour - Iridoteuthis merlini - Merlin's bobtail squid.[5] [6]

Research

Crossley is interested in gene regulation. He studied an unusual genetic disorder termed Haemophilia B Leyden where patients recover after puberty.[7] The condition results from mutations that disrupt the control region of the clotting factor IX gene.[8] [9] A testosterone-responsive element accounts for post-pubertal recovery.[10] He has also investigated abnormal patterns of globin gene expression and his work on mutations associated with the lifelong expression of the fetal haemoglobin gene may help in the treatment of thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia.[11] He is using CRISPR-mediated gene editing to introduce beneficial mutations in cell lines as models for treating genetic diseases.[12] [13] Clinical trials by major gene editing companies are now introducing mutations that his lab described.

He is also known for the initial identification and cloning of a significant number of genes encoding DNA-binding proteins: KLF3,[14] KLF8,[15] KLF17,[16] EOS IKZF4,[17] PEGASUS IKZF5,[18] and their associated co-regulators: FOG1 ZFPM1,[19] FOG2 ZFPM2,[20] and CTBP2.[21]

Other activities

He has contributed numerous articles on molecular genetics and education to newspapers and media outlets such as The Conversation (website)[22] and has promoted science communication, for instance as a member of the judging panel for the annual anthology, Best Australian Science Writing.[23] He is Deputy Director of the Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC),[24] has served on the Trust of the Australian Museum 2012-20[25] and the Board of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science 2010-15,[26] and is on the Board of, and Chair of the Editorial Board of The Conversation (website).

Honours and awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UNSW community recognised in 2023 King's Birthday Honours. UNSW. Sydney.
  2. Web site: Merlin Crossley . 19 February 2016 . unsw.edu.au.
  3. Web site: Rhodes Scholars: Complete List, 1903-2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131106034818/http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/about/rhodes-scholars/rhodes-scholars-complete-list . dead . 2013-11-06 . 2014-05-02 . dmy-all .
  4. Web site: Merlin Crossley reappointed Science Dean . 14 Jan 2014 . UNSW Sydney .
  5. Web site: New species of bobtail squid named in honour of Professor Merlin Crossley . 3 August 2021 . 7 August 2021.
  6. Web site: Fire shooting 'butterfly bobtail' named in honour of Professor Merlin Crossley! . 7 August 2021.
  7. 24138812 . 10.1016/j.tig.2013.09.007 . 30 . 1 . Hemophilia B Leyden and once mysterious cis-regulatory mutations . Jan 2014 . Trends in Genetics . 18–23 . Funnell . AP . Crossley . M.
  8. 2342576 . 10.1038/345444a0 . 345 . 6274 . Disruption of a C/EBP binding site in the factor IX promoter is associated with haemophilia B . May 1990 . Nature . 444–6 . Crossley . M . Brownlee . GG. 1990Natur.345..444C . 4261499 .
  9. 23472758 . 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.02.003 . 92 . 3 . A CpG mutational hotspot in a ONECUT binding site accounts for the prevalent variant of hemophilia B Leyden . Mar 2013 . American Journal of Human Genetics . 460–7 . 3591849 . Funnell . AP . Wilson . MD . Ballester . B . Mak . KS . Burdach . J . Magan . N . Pearson . RC . Lemaigre . FP . Stowell . KM . Odom . DT . Flicek . P . Crossley . M.
  10. 1631558 . 257 . 5068 . Recovery from hemophilia B Leyden: an androgen-responsive element in the factor IX promoter . Jul 1992 . Science . 377–9 . 10.1126/science.1631558 . Crossley . M . Ludwig . M . Stowell . KM . De Vos . P . Olek . K . Brownlee . GG. 1992Sci...257..377C .
  11. 25971621 . 10.1038/ncomms8085 . 6 . 7085 . Editing the genome to introduce a beneficial naturally occurring mutation associated with increased fetal globin . May 2015 . Nature Communications . 377–9 . Wienert . B . Funnell . AP . Norton . LJ . Pearson . RC . Wilkinson-White . LE . Lester . K . Vadolas . J . Porteus . MH . Matthews . JM . Quinlan . KG . Crossley . M. 2015NatCo...6.7085W . free .
  12. Web site: Turning the tables: using genetic mutations to fix nature's problems. 13 May 2015. theconversation.com.
  13. Web site: Crossley Lab UNSW Science . unsw.edu.au.
  14. 8657145 . 16 . 4 . Isolation and characterization of the cDNA encoding BKLF/TEF-2, a major CACCC-box-binding protein in erythroid cells and selected other cells . Apr 1996. Mol. Cell. Biol. . 1695–705 . 10.1128/mcb.16.4.1695 . 231156 . Crossley . M . Whitelaw . E . Perkins . A . Williams . G . Fujiwara . Y . Orkin . SH.
  15. 10756197 . 28 . 9 . Human Krüppel-like factor 8: a CACCC-box binding protein that associates with CtBP and represses transcription. May 2000. Nucleic Acids Research . 1955–62 . 10.1093/nar/28.9.1955 . 103308 . van Vliet . J . Turner . J . Crossley . M.
  16. 16460907. 87 . 4 . Human KLF17 is a new member of the Sp/KLF family of transcription factors. Apr 2006. Genomics . 474–82 . 10.1016/j.ygeno.2005.12.011 . van Vliet . J . Crofts . LA . Quinlan . KG . Czolij . R . Perkins . AC . Crossley . M.
  17. 10978333 . 10.1074/jbc.M005457200 . 275 . 49 . Eos and pegasus, two members of the Ikaros family of proteins with distinct DNA binding activities.. Dec 2000 . Journal of Biological Chemistry . 38347–54 . Perdomo . J . Holmes . M . Chong . B . Crossley . M. free .
  18. 10978333 . 10.1074/jbc.M005457200 . 275 . 49 . Eos and pegasus, two members of the Ikaros family of proteins with distinct DNA binding activities . Dec 2000 . Journal of Biological Chemistry . 38347–54 . Perdomo . J . Holmes . M . Chong . B . Crossley . M. free .
  19. 9230307 . 90 . 1 . FOG, a multitype zinc finger protein, acts as a cofactor for transcription factor GATA-1 in erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation . Jul 1997 . Cell . 109–19 . 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80318-9 . Tsang . AP . Visvader . JE . Turner . CA . 2085524 . etal . free .
  20. 10438528 . 274 . 33 . hFOG-2, a novel zinc finger protein, binds the co-repressor mCtBP2 and modulates GATA-mediated activation. Aug 1999 . Journal of Biological Chemistry . 23491–890 . 10.1074/jbc.274.33.23491 . Holmes . M . Turner . J . Fox . A . Chisholm . O . Crossley . M . Chong . B. free .
  21. 9724649. 17 . 17 . Cloning and characterization of mCtBP2, a co-repressor that associates with basic Krüppel-like factor and other mammalian transcriptional regulators. Sep 1998 . EMBO Journal . 5129–40 . 10.1093/emboj/17.17.5129 . 1170841 . Turner . J . Crossley . M.
  22. Web site: theconversation.com/profiles/merlin-crossley-22601/articles . 15 December 2021 . theconversation.com.
  23. Web site: The Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing . newsouthpublishing.com.
  24. Web site: Board members - AusSMC - Australian Science Media Centre. www.smc.org.au.
  25. Web site: Australian Museum Trustees . australianmuseum.net.au.
  26. Web site: SIMS is a collaboration which is stronger than its individual parts/articles . sims.org.au.
  27. Web site: https://www.gg.gov.au/kings-birthday-2023-honours-list . 12 June 2023.
  28. Web site: Winner of 2023 FAOBMB Award for Research Excellence . 12 March 2023.
  29. Web site: HE 2021 LEMBERG MEDAL: MERLIN CROSSLEY . 7 August 2021.
  30. Web site: 2020 Category Winners . 27 October 2020 . 7 August 2021.
  31. Web site: Fellows - The Royal Society of NSW. royalsoc.org.au.
  32. Web site: Fellows - Queen's College - The University of Melbourne - Queen's College - The University of Melbourne. Queen's. College. www.queens.unimelb.edu.au. 22 November 2017 .
  33. http://www.lornegenome.asnevents.com.au/index84bb.html?option=com_content&view=article&id=38&Itemid=29{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  34. Web site: Australian Academy of Science - Gottschalk medal . 2014-12-11 . dead . https://archive.today/20140826095815/http://www.sciencearchive.org.au/awards/awards/gottschalk.html . 26 August 2014 . dmy-all .
  35. Web site: Edgeworth David Medal . 26 August 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140720040618/http://royalsoc.org.au/awards/edgeworth_david.htm . 20 July 2014 . dead .
  36. Web site: Medalists. asbmb.org.au.
  37. Web site: Rhodes Scholars: Complete List, 1903-2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131106034818/http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/about/rhodes-scholars/rhodes-scholars-complete-list . dead . 2013-11-06 . dmy-all . 7 August 2021 .

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