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Mary Madeleine McGrane, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Email: mary.mcgrane@uconn.edu

Education and Background

  • B.A. Anthropology, American University, Washington, D.C.
  • Ph.D. Physiology (1979-84), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Academic and Professional Appointments

  • 1996-present: Associate Professor, Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Molecular & Cell Biology (Joint Appointment), University of Connecticut
  • 1991-96: Assistant Professor, Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Molecular & Cell Biology(Joint Appointment), University of Connecticut
  • 1989-1991: Instructor, Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University
  • 1986-1989: Research Associate, Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Recipient of NIH Training Grant Award
  • 1984-1985: Research Associate, Dept. of Microbiology, Vanderbilt University

Professional Honors

  • Donald A. Kinsman Award of Excellence, 2004
  • University of Connecticut candidate for Howard Hughes Investigatorship, 1996
  • University of Connecticut candidate for Searle Scholars Program, 1992
  • Elected full-member American Institute of Nutrition, 1992
  • University of Connecticut candidate for Pew Scholars Program, 1991

Scholarly Reputation

  • Editorial Advisory Panel: Biochemical Journal
  • USDA NRI Competitive Grants Program Human Nutrition Panel, 2004

Teaching

Undergraduate level

  • NUSC 165: Fundamentals of Nutrition

Graduate level

  • NUSC 300: Macronutrient Metabolism
  • NUSC 313: Nutrition and Gene Expression
  • NUSC 390: Seminar

Current Graduate Students - Major Advisor

  • Pierre-Jaques Brun

Graduated Students - Major Advisor

  • HyeWon Kang, Ph.D., August 24, 2006 - Vitamin A regulation of lipid metabolism
    Current Position:  Postdoctoral Fellow Harvard–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Boston, MA
  • Kelly Scribner, Ph.D., April 13, 2004 - In vivo mechanism of Retinoid Regulation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Gene Expression in Liver
    Current Position:  Endocrinology Research Fellow, Harvard Children’s Hospital, Boston MA.
 
  • Gautam Reddy Bhimidi, M.S., 2004 - Differential gene expression associated with vitamin A deficiency and the metabolic outcome of disrupted lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.
 
  • Saheli Ghoshal, M.S., 2003 - Regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene expression in liver by retinoid receptors and nuclear receptor coregulators.
 
  • Saritha Pasham, M.S., 2001 - Retinoid regulation of PEPCK gene expression during fetal development.
  • Dong-Ju Shin, Ph.D., July, 1999 - Retinoid Regulation of PEPCK Gene Expression in Transgenic Mice.
    Current Position:  Postdoctoral Scholar with Tim Osborne, Professor and Chairman, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the University of California, Irvine.
 
  • Aiyang Tao, M.S., 1997 - Vitamin A regulation of hepatic vitamin A receptor genes in transgenic mice.

Teaching Awards

  • 2004 Donald M. Kinsman Award of Excellence - award for undergraduate teaching

Areas of Research Interest

  • Vitamin A regulation of gene expression: microarray analysis
  • Eukaryotic gene expression in cell culture and transgenic animal models
    • nutrient/hormonal regulation, developmental regulation and tissue specificity
    • in vivo analysis using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
  • Retinoids, nuclear receptors and coregulators
  • Vitamin A regulation of gene expression: microarray analysis
  • Vitamin A regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism

Selected Grants Funded

  • USDA National Research Initiative Competitive Grant, 09/01/03 – 08/31/07  “Vitamin A Regulation of Gene Expression in Liver: From a Single Gene to a Multi-Gene Profile” McGrane M. PI
  • USDA National Research Initiative Competitive Grant, 06/01/03-05/31/06. "Vitamin A Regulation of Gene Expression in Liver: From a Single Gene to a Multi-Gene Profile" $290,700 M. McGrane, PI (ranked #1)
  • USDA National Research Initiative Competitive Grant, 9/1/99-8/31/2002. "Retinoid Regulation of Genes in Hepatic Gluconeogenesis" $260,000. M. McGrane, PI
  • NIH FIRST Award (R29), 04/01/95-03/31/2000. "Retinoic Acid Regulation of Gene Expression in Transgenic Mice" $496,950 M. McGrane, PI., (Percentile Ranking: 0.6)

Publications

  • Kang HW, Bhimidi GR, Odom DP, Brun PJ, Fernandez ML, McGrane MM. Altered Lipid Catabolism in the Vitamin A Deficient Liver. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2007; Mar 15 [Epub ahead of print].
  • McGrane MM. Vitamin A Regulation of Gene Expression: Molecular Mechanism of a Prototype Gene. J Nutr Biochem. 2007; Feb 21 [Epub ahead of print]
  • Shrestha S, Freake HC, McGrane MM, Volek JS, Fernandez ML. A Combination of Psyllium and Plant Sterols Alters Lipoprotein Metabolism in Hypercholesterolemic Subjects by Modifying the Intravascular Processing of Lipoproteins and Increasing LDL Uptake. J Nutr. 2007; 137:1165-70.
  • Scribner KB, Odom DP, McGrane MM. Nuclear Receptor Binding to the Retinoic Acid Response Elements of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Gene In Vivo: Effects of Vitamin A Deficiency. J Nutr Biochem. 2007; 18:206-14.
  • Herron K, McGrane MM, Odom DP, Clark RM Fernandez ML.  ABCG5 polymorphism contributes to the individual response to dietary cholesterol and to carotenoids present in eggs.  J. Nutr 2006; 136:1161-5.
  • West KL, McGrane MM, Odom D, Keller B, Fernandez ML. SC-435, an ileal apical sodium-codependent bile acid transporter inhibitor alters mRNA levels and enzyme activities of selected genes involved in hepatic cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism in guinea pigs. J Nutr Biochem. 2005 Dec;16(12):722-8. Epub 2005 Aug 9.
  • Scribner KB, Odom DP, McGrane MM. Vitamin A status in the mouse affects the histone code of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene in liver.  J. Nutr. 2005; 127:1274-8.
  • McGrane MM.  Carbohydrate Metabolism - Pathways of Synthesis and Oxidation.  In: Biochemical and Physiological Bases of Human Nutrition, 2nd Edition, 2004 Stipanuk, M.H. Ed. W.B. Saunders publishers.
  • Scribner KB, McGrane MM  RNA Polymerase II Association with the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (PEPCK) promoter is reduced in Vitamin A Deficient Mice.  J. Nutr. 2003; 133: 4112-17.
  • Ghoshal S, Pasham S. Odom DP, McGrane MM.  The effect of Vitamin A Depletion on Expression of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Gene During Development of the Fetal Liver and at Birth.  J. Nutr. 2003; 133: 2131-36.
  • Scribner, K.B. and McGrane, M.M. (2003) RNA Polymerase II-Association with the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (PEPCK) Promoter is Reduced in Vitamin A-Deficient Mice. J. Nutr.133:4112-4117.
  • Ghoshal, S., Pasham, S., Odom, D.P. and McGrane, M.M. (2003) The Effect of Vitamin A Depletion on Expression of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Gene during Development of the Fetal Liver and at Birth. J. Nutr. 133: 2131-2136.
  • Furr, H.C. and McGrane, M.M. (2003) Retinol Physiology. In: Encyclopedia of Food Sciences & Nutrition, 2nd ed. (Caballero, B., Trugo, L., & Finglas, P., eds) pp.4957-4967. Academic Press, New York.
  • Shin, D.J., Odom, D.P., Scribner, K.B., Ghoshal, S. and McGrane, M.M. (2002) Retinoid Regulationof the Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase Gene in Liver. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 195, 39-54.
  • McGrane, M.M. (1999) Carbohydrate Metabolism - Pathways of Synthesis and Oxidation. In: Biochemical and Physiological Bases of Human Nutrition, Stipanuk, M.H. Ed. W.B. Saunders publishers.
  • Shin, D.J. and McGrane, M.M. (1997) Vitamin A regulation of genes involved in hepatic gluconeogenesis: phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase. J. Nutr. 127:1274-1278.
  • Shin, D.-J., Tao, A. and McGrane, M.M. (1995) Effects of vitamin A deficiency and retinoic acid treatment on expression of a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP)/bovine growth hormone gene in transgenic mice. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 213, 706-714.
  • McGrane, M.M. and Hanson, R.W. (1993) From diet to DNA. Nutr. Clin. Prac. 7, 16-21.
  • McGrane, M.M., Yun, S.J. and Hanson, R.W. (1992) Metabolic control of gene expression: In vivo studies with transgenic mice. Trends in Biochem. Sci. 17, 40-44.
  • McGrane, M.M., Yun, J.S., Moorman, A., Lamers, W., Hendrick, G., Arafah, B., Wagner, T. and Hanson, R.W. (1990) Metabolic effects of developmental, tissue, and cell-specific expression of a chimeric phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP)/bovine growth hormone gene in transgenic mice. J. Biol. Chem. 265, 22371-22379.
  • McGrane, M.M., Yun, J.S., Roesler, W.H., Park, E.A. and Hanson, R.W. (1990) Developmental regulation and tissue specific expression of a chimeric P-enolpyruvate carboxykinase/bovine growth hormone gene in transgenic animals. Genetic Engineering of Animals. (W. Hansel and B.J. Weir, Editors) J. Reprod. & Fert. Supplement 41, 89-96.
  • Hanson, R.W., Hatzoglou, M., McGrane, M.M., Wynshaw-Boris, A., Rottman, F.M. and Wagner, T. (1989) Molecular biology and nutrition research. J. Nutr. 119, 957-964.
  • McGrane, M.M., deVente, J., Yun, J.S., Bloom, J., Park, E.A., Wagner, T., Rottman, F.M. and Hanson, R.W. (1988) Tissue specific expression and dietary regulation of a chimeric P-enolpyruvate carboxykinase/bovine growth hormone gene in transgenic mice. J. Biol. Chem. 263, 11443-11451.
  • McGrane, M.M., El-Maghrabi, M.R. and Pilkis, S.J. (1983) The interaction of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and AMP with rat hepatic fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase. J. Biol. Chem. 258, 10445-10454.

Patents Approved

Dietary and hormonal regulation of expression of exogenous genes in transgenic animals under control of the promoter of the gene for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Hanson, R.W., McGrane, M.M., Wynshaw-Boris, A., Short, J., and Hatzoglou, M. (1995).
News and Updates

"What's Happening"
The Spring-Fall 2007 edition of the Department of Nutritional Sciences newsletter, "What's Happening," is available as a pdf here.

 

Positions Open

Pre-Doctoral Fellowships Available
The Department of Nutritional Sciences is offering 3 pre-doctoral fellowships for outstanding students for 3 years.