Trish BergeR

Trish Berger, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis

Research Description: My group studies animal development including in pigs. Like in humans the transition in function of the pancreatic islets in pigs is chronologically associated with pubertal transitions, and our diabetes-related research focuses on investigating these age- and developmental-based changes in pigs. We collaborate with SDRC investigator S.K. Kim and colleagues at UC Davis in this area who has published with Kim’s group on pig pancreas development. We are testing the hypothesis that increased signaling by estradiol may regulate islet cell functional maturation. This work integrates well with our other research interests involving the nonclassical role of estradiol in restriction of Sertoli cell population size prepuberally and postpuberally. In addition, we have been working with CRISPR/Cas9 technology to achieve gene editing, including generation of gene ‘knock out’ embryos to investigate phenotypes in pancreas and islet development.

Selected relevant publications (Stanford DRC members in BOLD):

1. Park I, Navarro-Serna S, Pinho R, Berger T, Maga EA, Gadea J, Kim SK, Ross PJ. 2024. Electroporation of CRISPR/Cas9 targeting neurogenin 3 (NGN3) in porcine embryos and its effects on mosaicism and off-target effects by next generation sequencing (NGS). Re: GEN Open, 4: 9-20

2. Kang S and Berger T. 2023. Macrophages in juvenile pig testis: Link with increase in Sertoli cells induced by estradiol suppression. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 58: 564-568.