Melody Lyn Allensworth-James, PhD

Melody Allensworth-James is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Science at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She received her B.S. from Christian Brothers University and her Ph.D. from UAMS. The focus of her studies is the role of leptin receptors in somatotropes and the underlying mechanisms governing those roles. Currently, she is exploring the role of RNA binding protein, Musashi, in somatotropes. She has used Cre-LoxP technology to selectively ablate Leptin receptors or Musashi in somatotropes. As she transitions to her new role as an Instructor in the Department, she is focused on Next-Gen sequencing to detect changes in signaling pathways in mutant somatotropes to learn more about regulatory roles for leptin, miRNAs and Musashi.