Angus M. MacNicol

Angus M. MacNicol is a Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular plasticity in the anterior pituitary gland, post-transcriptional gene regulation, and the role of stem cells in tissue regeneration and disease.

• Education: Ph.D. from the National Institute for Medical Research/King’s College London, U.K.; Postdoctoral training at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco.

Research Interests include:

• Regulation of anterior pituitary cellular plasticity through Sox2-expressing stem cells and transdifferentiation of hormone-producing cells.
• Post-transcriptional control via microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins like ELAVL1 and Musashi (MSI), which modulate gonadotrope function and hormone secretion.
• Investigating the Musashi protein family's dual role in translational repression and activation, particularly in pituitary stem/progenitor cell differentiation and cancer stem cell functionality.

Methodologies employed in his work include single-cell RNA sequencing, proteogenomics, 3D organoid cultures, mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics. His research is funded by the NIH.

Mentoring & Service: Dr. MacNicol has mentored numerous students and junior faculty, including 9 PhD graduates and 7 postdoctoral fellows. He has served as Vice Chair of the Department of Neuroscience since 2019, participates in faculty development committees, and lectures in UAMS core courses. He also contributes to editorial boards and grant review panels for organizations like the NIH and Welcome Trust.

Labs & Collaborations: Collaborates with Dr. Gwen Childs, Dr. Melanie MacNicol, and Dr. Angela Odle at UAMS. His team utilizes mouse models, Xenopus, and human iPSCs to study mRNA regulatory networks in pituitary plasticity and disease.