Jesse Mager

Jesse Mager is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also serves as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Support Services. His research is centered on early mammalian development, with a focus on phenotypic analysis of knockout mouse models generated through the Knockout Mouse Project (KOMP2) and the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC).

His research interests include developmental epigenetics, genome imprinting, chromatin remodeling, and gene function during preimplantation and gastrulation stages. He employs RNAi and epigenetic reporter systems to dissect the regulatory mechanisms governing early embryonic development. His lab has characterized over 200 knockout lines, identifying critical developmental checkpoints and epigenetic regulators.

His recent publications reveal essential roles for genes involved in transcription (TAFs, POLR1D), RNA processing (Exosc1/2), chromatin regulation (RBBP4, KANSL3), and organelle function (Borcs6) in early embryogenesis. These studies highlight conserved mechanisms underlying mammalian development and disease.

• ZC3H4—a novel Cys-Cys-Cys-His-type zinc finger protein—is essential for early embryogenesis in mice
• Overlapping peri-implantation phenotypes of ZNHIT1 and ZNHIT2 despite distinct functions during early mouse development
• TATA-binding associated factors have distinct roles during early mammalian development
• Protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 35 is required for ciliogenesis, notochord morphogenesis, and cell-cycle progression during murine development
• Loss of POLR1D results in embryonic lethality prior to blastocyst formation in mice

Dr. Mager mentors several graduate and undergraduate students and teaches courses in genetics, developmental biology, and scientific communication. He actively collaborates with international consortia and shares data to advance functional annotation of the mammalian genome.

His lab, located in the Integrated Sciences Building, is supported by institutional and collaborative research funding, enabling high-throughput phenotypic screening and molecular analysis of early embryonic lethality in mice.