Overview

Melissa B. Rogers, Ph.D., is a tenured Associate Professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry, & Molecular
Genetics at Rutgers NJ Medical School (NJMS) in Newark, NJ. Dr. Rogers received her B.S. from Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, and Ph.D. from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. She also trained at Dana
Farber Cancer Institute with Dr. L. Gudas (1985-1991) and in the Dept. of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
with Dr. J. Seidman (1992). In 1993, she was appointed as Assistant Professor in Biology at the University of
South Florida in Tampa and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 1999. At USF, Dr. Rogers
received awards for both research and teaching.
In 2001, Dr. Rogers moved to Rutgers NJMS (previously UMDNJ). Her research was continuously funded since
1993 by external sources including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), American Heart Association (AHA),
March of Dimes, NJ State Commission on Cancer Research, and Leukemia Research Foundation, Inc. Dr.
Rogers reviews for the NIH, National Science Foundation, AHA, Alzheimer's Assoc., Philip Morris External
Research Program, and Rutgers Research Council. Dr. Rogers' teaching duties include directing and lecturing
dental, medical and graduate student courses. Recent awards at NJMS include the NJMS Faculty
Organization Basic Science Teaching Award, New Jersey Health Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award,
and the NJMS Faculty Organization Distinguished Career Award PhD.

Education

PHD, 1985, Brandeis University
BS, 1979, Rennsselear Polytechnic Institute

Curriculum Vitae

View CV

Relevant Publications

Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/1PGPXaKSz2-k_/bibliograpahy/45552599/public/? sort=date&direction=ascending

Garsetti DE, Sahay K, Wang Y, Rogers MB. Sex and the basal mRNA synthesis machinery. Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2022 Oct 4; e1765. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1765. PMID: 36195437 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1765

Shah TA and Rogers MB. Unanswered Questions Regarding Sex and BMP/TGF-b Signaling. Journal of Developmental Biology. 6, 14; doi:10.3390/jdb6020014 (2018)

Salloum JS, Garsetti DE, Rogers MB. Genetic Background Influences the Impact of KLOTHO Deficiency. Physiological Genomics. 52, 512-516 (2020)

Tang Y, Shah TA, Yurkow EJ, Rogers MB. MicroRNA Profiles in Calcified and Healthy Aorta Differ: Therapeutic Impact of miR-145 and miR-378. Physiological Genomics. 52: 517'529, 2020.PMID: 32956022Shah TA, Zhu Y, Cottrell JA, Burgess D, Michaels S, Rogers MB. Common Cell Lines Used to Study Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs). Methods Mol Biol 1891:1-8. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8904-1_1. (2019).

Rogers, M.B. (Editor) Bone Morphogenetic Proteins Methods and Protocols Springer series Methods in Molecular Biology Springer Nature, NY (2019) Shaikh NN, Harris MA, Harris SE, Rogers MB. Characterization of New Bone Morphogenetic Protein (Bmp)-2 Regulatory Alleles Genesis. Jul;55(7). doi: 10.1002/dvg.23035. (2017)

Fotinos, A, Fritz, DT, Lisica, S, Liu, Y, Rogers, M. B. Competing Repressive Factors Control Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (BMP2) in Mesenchymal Cells Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 117:439?447 (2016) Rogers, M. B., TA Shah, NN Shaikh. Turning Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (BMP2) On and Off in Mesenchymal Cells. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry 116(10):2127-38 (2015)

Yutzey, KE, Demer, LL, Body, SC, Huggins, GS , Towler, DA, Giachelli, CM, Hofmann- Bowman, MA, Mortlock, DP, Rogers, MB, Sadeghi, MM, Aikawa, E. Calcific aortic valve disease: A consensus summary from Alliance of Investigators on Calcific Aortic Valve Disease, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, 34(11):2387-93 (2014)

Fotinos, A, Nagarajan, N, Adriano S. Martins, AS, Fritz, DT, Garsetti, D, Lee, AT, Hong, CC, and Rogers, MB, Bone Morphogenetic Protein-focused Strategies to Induce Cytotoxicity in Lung Cancer Cells, Anticancer Research, 34 (5): 2095-2104 (2014)

Kruithof, BPT, Xu J, Fritz, DT, Cabral CS, Gaussin, V, and Rogers, M. B. (2011) An In Vivo Map of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 Post-transcriptional Repression in the Heart, genesis, The Journal of Genetics and Development 49:841?850.

Areas Of Interest

cell biology

gene expression

lung cancer

molecular biology

osteogenesis

pathological calcification

Course List

EDUC6111K

Concepts Biomedical Science

Regulating the Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2)

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) is an essential signal. We focus on the regulation of
BMP2 in three contexts:
1. In EMBRYOGENESIS, because abnormal BMP2 levels cause birth defects, including lethal
congenital malformations of the heart and other organs.
2. In the adult VASCULATURE AND CARDIAC VALVES, because excessive BMP2 levels in the
blood vasculature and coronary valves promote pathological calcification (e.g.,
atherosclerosis and calcific aortic valve disease).
3. In LUNG TUMORS, because BMP2 levels are abnormally elevated in human lung tumors
relative to non-malignant lung tissue and in vitro and in vivo experiments and patient
studies indicate that elevated levels of BMP2 that BMP2 promotes lung tumor tumorigenesis
and bone metastases.

We discovered a sequence within the regulatory part of the gene that has been largely
unchanged since fishes and mammals diverged, the ?ultra-conserved sequence? (UCS). The
extraordinary conservation of this sequence supports a fundamental role in animal
development and function. One role of the UCS is to turn off BMP2 synthesis in clinically
relevant cell types (e.g., heart valves, vascular cells, and healthy lungs). We
hypothesize that the ability of the UCS to block BMP2 synthesis is compromised in tissues
that express pathological levels of BMP2.

New preventative and therapeutic targets are needed for these pathologies. Therefore we
seek to identify regulatory proteins and microRNAs that can pharmacologically reawaken
BMP2 repression.

STUDENT PROJECTS: A student would analyze the expression of BMP2 reporter genes
or BMP2 itself in cells and mice that model these diseases. Potential methods: tissue
culture of primary and immortalized cells, transfection of plasmids and microRNAs into
cells, the generation of reporter gene plasmids, biochemical characterization of
regulatory processes, transgenic mouse analyses.

SUPPORT:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 1R01HL114751, ?BMP2 Gene Regulation in Calcific
Aortic Valve Disease?, 07/01/2012 ? 06/31/2016
Foundation of UMDNJ and Dean?s Biomedical Research Support Program, #PC53-12, ?BMP2
Repression and Embryogenesis and Adult Physiology?, 04/01/2012-03/30/2014

Melissa B. Rogers, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
UMDNJ - NJ Medical School, Bldg. MSB, Room E627
Phone 973 972 2984
Fax 973 972 5594
rogersmb@umdnj.edu