Margaret "Minx" T. Fuller is an American

developmental biologist Developmental biology is the study of the process by which animals and plants grow and develop. Developmental biology also encompasses the biology of Regeneration (biology), regeneration, asexual reproduction, metamorphosis, and the growth and di ...

known for her research on the

male Male (Planet symbols, symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or Egg cell, ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot sexual repro ...

germ line In biology and genetics, the germline is the population of a multicellular organism's cells that develop into germ cells. In other words, they are the cells that form gametes ( eggs and sperm), which can come together to form a zygote. They dif ...

and defining the role of the

stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...

environment (the hub cells that establish the niche of particular cells) in specifying cell fate and differentiation. Fuller is the Reed-Hodgson Professor of Human Biology at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, and former chair of the Stanford Department of Developmental Biology.

Biography

Fuller earned a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in physics from

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

in 1974, and a Ph.D. in microbiology from

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

in 1980, working with Jonathan King. She completed her postdoctoral work in developmental genetics at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

, working with Elizabeth Raff and

Thomas Kaufman Thomas Charles Kaufman is an American geneticist. He is known for his work on the zeste-white region of the Drosophila melanogaster, ''Drosophila'' X chromosome. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of biology at Indiana University, where ...

, from 1980 to 1983. Fuller joined the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

faculty and then joined

in 1990, where she began working on

spermatogenesis Spermatogenesis is the process by which haploid spermatozoa develop from germ cells in the seminiferous tubules of the testicle. This process starts with the Mitosis, mitotic division of the stem cells located close to the basement membrane of ...

, doing genetic analysis of

microtubule Microtubules are polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to eukaryotic cells. Microtubules can be as long as 50 micrometres, as wide as 23 to 27 nanometer, nm and have an inner diameter bet ...

structure and function. Fuller is married to fellow biologist Matthew P. Scott.

Key papers

* Raff, E.C. and M. T. Fuller, et al., "Regulation of tubulin gene expression during embryogenesis in ''Drosophila melanogaster''", ''Cell'' v.28, pp. 33–40 (1982). * Fuller, M.T. ''et al.'', "Genetic Analysis of Microtubule Structure: A b-tubulin Mutation Causes the Formation of Aberrant Microtubule ''in vivo'' and ''in vitro''", ''Journal of Cell Biology'', v.104, pp. 385–394 (1987). * Fuller, M.T. and P.G. Wilson, "Force and Counter Force in the Mitotic Spindle", ''Cell'', v.71, pp. 547–550 (1992). * Fuller, M.T., "Riding the Polar Winds: Chromosomes Motor Down East," ''Cell'', v.81, pp. 5–8 (1995). * Hales, K.G., M.T. Fuller, "Developmentally Regulated Mitochondrial Fusion Mediated by a Conserved, Novel, Predicted GTPase", ''Cell'' (1997). * G. J. Hermann, J.W. Thatcher, J.P. Mills, K.G. Hales, M.T. Fuller, "Mitochondrial Fusion in Yeast Requires the Transmembrane GTPase Fzo1p", ''Journal of Cell Biology'' (1998). * Kiger, A., H. White-Cooper, and M.T. fuller, "Somatic support cells restrict germ line stem cell self-renewal and promote differentiation", ''Nature'' v.407, pp. 750–754 (2000).

Additional publications

* Margaret T. Fuller and Allan C. Spradling, ''Review'', "Male and Female ''Drosophila'' Germline Stem Cells: Two Versions of Immortality", ''Science'', v.316, n.5823, pp. 402–404 (April 20, 2007).

Awards

* 1980 -

Jane Coffin Childs Fellow The Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research (the "JCC"), established in 1937, awards the "Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship" for research in the medical and related sciences bearing on cancer. History The Fund was founded ...

* 1985-86 -

Searle Scholar The Searle Scholars Program is a career development award made annually to support 15 young faculty in biomedical research and chemistry at US universities and research centers. The goal of the award is to support to exceptional young scientists wh ...

* 2004 - Reed-Hodgson Professor, Human Biology,

* 2006 - Elected member,

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

* 2008 - Elected member,

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

* 2022 - Genetics Society of America Medal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Margaret 21st-century American biologists Stem cell researchers Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Stanford University School of Medicine faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences American developmental biologists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American women biologists 21st-century American women scientists 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American biologists Brandeis University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni University of Colorado Boulder faculty Searle Scholars Program recipients Members of the National Academy of Medicine