Jeanelle Morgan, Ph.D.

Jeanelle Morgan

Professor & Associate Department Head

Phone678-717-3706

Office locationScience, Engineering, Tech, 161, Gainesville

Area(s) of Expertise: Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Genetics, Microbiology (Advising Area of Expertise: Biology, Honors Program, Pre-Respiratory Therapy)

Courses Taught

  • BIOL 1101 Biology – A Human Perspective
  • BIOL 1107 Principles of Biology
  • BIOL 2260K Microbiology for Allied Health Professions
  • BIOL 3220K Genetics
  • BIOL 3240K Cell Biology
  • BIOL 4200K Molecular Cell Biology

Education

  • Ph.D., Drexel University, 2006
  • B.S., Ursinus College, 2000

Research/Special Interests

  • Fluorescently Tagged Yeast Transporters as a Gene Expression Module to Improve Student Understanding of Gene Regulation in Biological Sciences
  • Laboratory Detection Techniques for Chytridiomycosis (with Natalie Hyslop)
  • Chromogenic Media as a Diagnostic Tool for Salmonella Detection in Poultry Environmental Samples (with Jennifer Mook and Doug Waltman)
  • “Susceptibility of North Georgia’s Amphibian Populations to Chytrid” – This project is in conjunction with Dr. Hyslop.  We are using molecular techniques to investigate the occurrence of chytrid, a lethal fungal pathogen, in north Georgia’s amphibian populations. 
  • Recipient of Faculty Scholar Award, University of North Georgia, GA. Spring 2013
  • Susceptibility to Chytridiomycosis of North Georgia amphibian: Principle Investigators:  Jeanelle Morgan, Ph.D. and Natalie Hyslop, Ph.D.
  • “Chromogenic media as a diagnostic tool for Salmonella detection in poultry environmental samples”  This project is in conjunction with Dr. Mook and Georgia Poultry Lab.
  • Recipient of FUSE Grant, University of North Georgia, GA.  Summer 2013: Principle Investigators:  Jeanelle Morgan, Ph.D. and Jennifer Mook, Ph.D.
  • Submitted:  “Analysis of antimicrobial peptides produced by amphibians against the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.”  This proposal was submitted as part of a larger grant proposal authored by a team of four principal investigators and four senior personnel at the University of North Georgia (umbrella proposal titled: “Acquisition of Instruments to Determine the Fate of Chemical Analytes in Biological and Environmental Systems”) to NSF MRI spring 2013.
  • Recipient of Association for Biology Laboratory Education Roberta Williams Laboratory Teaching Initiative Grant (LTIG): Principal Investigators:  Jeanelle Morgan, Ph.D. and Evan Lampert, Ph.D., Department of Biology, Gainesville State College

Undergraduate research projects presented at Georgia Academy of Science 2013

EXPLORING THE ROLE ENVIRONMENT PLAYS ON GENE REGULATION USING A FLUORESCENTLY TAGGED GLUCOSE TRANSPORTER IN SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE**, Tae Young Lee* and J.M. Morgan.  Georgia Academy of Science Annual Meeting, Valdosta, GA.  2013.

ANALYSIS OF THE SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF OREGANO AND GARLIC OIL AGAINST PATHOGENIC MICROBES**, R.P. Bagnal* and J.M. Morgan.  Georgia Academy of Science Annual Meeting, Valdosta, GA.  2013.

Undergraduate research project presented at Entomology 2012, 60th  Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Knoxville, TN. 2012

Gut microbes of generalist and specialist herbivores.  Bell, S., Kelly, A., Puerta, D., Starcher, B., Obadi, O., Morgan, J.M., Lampert, E.  Entomology 2012, 60th  Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Knoxville, TN. 2012. Poster Presentation. (This project is in conjunction with Dr. Evan Lampert.)

Publications

Hyeon-Son Choi, Wen-Min Su, Jeanelle M. Morgan, Gil-Soo Han, Zhi Xu, Eleftherios Karanasios, Symeon Siniossoglou and George M. Carman. (2011) Phosphorylation of Phosphatidate Phosphatase Regulates Its Membrane Association and Physiological Functions in Saccharomyces cerevisiael; IDENTIFICATION OF SER602, THR723, AND SER 744 AS THE SITES PHOSPHORYLATED BY CDC28 (CDK1)-ENCODED CYCLIN0DEPENCENT KINASE.  J. Biol. Chem.; 286, 1486-1498.

Morgan, J.M., Carman, G.M.  (2009) Cyclin-dependent kinase-mediated phosphorylation of yeast phosphatidate phosphatase.  FASEB J. (Meeting Abstract Supplement) 689.4

McCourt, P.C., Morgan, J.M., and Nickels, J.T.  (2009)  Stress-induced ceramide-activated protein phosphatase can compensate for loss of amphiphysin-like activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and function to reinitiate endocytosis.  J. Biol. Chem.; 284, 11930-11941.

Morgan, J.M., McCourt, P.C., Swain, E. and Nickels, J.T.  (2009)  Loss of sphingolipid metabolism in cells lacking the yeast amphiphysin ortholog, Rvs161p, re-initiates endocytosis of multiple sugar transporters.  Eukaryot. Cell, 8, 779-789.

Sachais, B.S., Alice Kuo, A., Nassar, T., Morgan, J., Kariko, K., Williams, K. J., Feldman, M., Aviram, M., Shah, N., Jarett, L., Poncz, M., Cines, D.B., and Higazi, A.A.  (2002)  Platelet factor 4 binds to low-density lipoprotein receptors and disrupts the endocytic itinerary, resulting in retention of low-density lipoprotein on the cell surface.  Blood; 99: 3613-3622.

Work Experience

  • 2013 – present:  Assistant Professor, Associate Department Head,  Department of Biology, University of North Georgia, Oakwood, GA.
  • 2009 – 2013:  Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Gainesville State College, Oakwood, GA.
  • 2006- 2009:  Postdoctoral Associate, Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; mentor: George M. Carman
  • 2001-2006:  Doctoral Research, Department of Biochemistry, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; mentor: Joseph T. Nickels, Jr.
  • 2000–2001:  Research Assistant, Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, mentor Bruce Sachais

Personal Information

Advisor for Spectrum on the Gainesville Campus

Member of the following: PKAL Atlanta, Association for Biological Laboratory Education (ABLE), Georgia Academy of Science, Theobald Smith Society –American Society for Microbiology, Genetics Society of America, American Association of University Women, Sigma Xi, Phi Beta Kappa, Beta Beta Beta