Associate Researcher
Education
PhD, Marine Biology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
MSc, Marine Biology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
BSc, Ocean Sciences, Stanford University
Research Interests
I am fascinated by how the environment shapes life, in life that shapes the environment. My research investigates how organisms sense and respond to factors that determine their future. My research vision is to elucidate mechanisms and players in regulation and signaling of photosynthesis and metabolism, identify pathways to engineer sustainable bioproducts, and to develop understanding of photosynthesis to global change.
Keywords: cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, large-scale biology, ecology, global change biology, photosynthesis, metabolism, multi-omics, algae, symbiosis, bioenergy, bioproducts, agriculture, photoprotection, dinoflagellates, corals, GFP
Chromochloris zofingiensis systems biology project website URL
Jeffers, TL, Purvine, SO, Nicora, CD, McCombs, R, Upadhyaya, S, Stroumza, S, Whang, K, Gallaher, SD, Dohnalkova, A, Merchant, SS, Lipton, M, Niyogi, KK, Roth, MS. 2024 Iron rescues glucose-mediated photosynthesis repression during lipid accumulation in the green alga Chromochloris zofingiensis. Nature Communications 15, 6046. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50170-x URL
Núñez-Pons L, Tai, V and Roth, MS (2024). Editorial: Women in coevolution 2022. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 12:1445501. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1445501 URL
Backstrom, CH, Padilla-Gamiño, JL, Spalding, HL, Roth, MS, Smith, CM, Gates, RD, Rodrigues, LJ. 2024. Mesophotic corals in Hawaiʻi maintain autotrophy to survive low-light conditions. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 291: 2023153420231534. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1534 URL
Medina, M, Baker, DM, Baltrus, D, Bennett, GM, Cardini, U, Correa, AMS, Degnan, SM, Gregor, C, Kim, E, Li, J, Nash, DR, Marzinelli, EM, Nishiguchi, MK, Prada, C, Roth, MS, Saha, M, Smith, CI, Theis, KR, Zanevald, JR. 2022. Grand challenges in coevolution. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9: 618251. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.618251 URL
Jeffers, TL, Roth, MS. 2021. Revealing mechanisms of algal astaxanthin production and bioengineering potential using multi-omics. In Ravishankar, GA and Ambati, RR (Eds.). Global perspective of astaxanthin: From industrial production to food, health and pharmaceutical applications. Elsevier, USA. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-823304-7.00010-6 URL
Gallaher, SD, Craig, RJ, Ganesan, I, Purvine, SO, McCorkle, SR, Grimwood, J, Strenkert, D, Davidi, L, Roth, MS, Jeffers, TL, Lipton, MS, Niyogi, KK, Schmutz, J, Theg, SM, Blaby-Haas, CE, Merchant, SS. 2021. Widespread polycistronic gene expression in green algae. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 118 (7): e2017714118. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2017714118 URL
Dizon, EG, Da-Anoy, J, Roth, MS, Conaco, CG. 2021. Fluorescent protein expression in temperature tolerant and susceptible reef-building corals. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 101(1), 71-80. DOI: 10.1017/S0025315421000059 URL
Roth, MS†, Westcott†, DJ, Iwai, M, Niyogi, KK. 2019. Hexokinase is necessary for glucose-mediated photosynthesis repression and lipid accumulation in a green alga. Communications Biology 2: 347. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0577-1 †equal authorship URL
Roth, MS, Gallaher, SD, Westcott, DJ, Iwai, M, Louie, KB, Mueller, M, Walter, A, Foflonker, F, Bowen, BP, Ataii, NN, Song, J, Chen, J.-H, Blaby-Haas, C, Larabell, C, Auer, M, Northen, T, Merchant, SS, Niyogi, KK. 2019. Regulation of oxygenic photosynthesis during trophic transitions in the green alga Chromochloris zofingiensis. The Plant Cell, tpc.00742.02018. DOI: 10.1105/tpc.18.00742 URL
Padilla-Gamiño JL, Roth MS, Rodrigues LJ, Bradley CJ, Bidigare RR, Gates RD, Smith CM, Spalding HL. 2019. Ecophysiology of mesophotic reef-building corals in Hawai‘i is influenced by symbiont–host associations, photoacclimatization, trophic plasticity, and adaptation. Limnology and Oceanography. DOI: 10.1002/lno.11164 URL
Spalding, HL, Copus, JM, Bowen, BW, Kosaki, RK, Longenecker, K, Montgomery, AD, Padillo-Gamiño, JL, Parrish, FA, Roth, MS, Rowley, SJ, Toonen, RJ, Pyle, RL. 2019. The Hawaiian Archipelago. In Loya, Y, Puglise, KA, and Bridge, TCL (Eds.). Mesophotic coral ecosystems. Springer, New York. URL
Iwai, M, Roth, MS, Niyogi, KK. 2018. Subdiffraction-resolution live-cell imaging for visualizing thylakoid membranes. The Plant Journal 96, 233-243. DOI:10.1111/tpj.14021 URL
Gallaher, SD, Roth, MS. 2018. RNA purification from the unicellular green alga, Chromochloris zofingiensis. Bio-protocol 8, e2793. DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.2793 URL
Roth, MS†, Cokus, SC†, Gallaher, SD, Lopez, D, Walter, A, Erickson, E, Endelman, B, Westcott, D, Larabell, C, Merchant, SS, Pellegrini, M, Niyogi, KK. 2017. Chromosome-level genome assembly and transcriptome of the green alga Chromochloris zofingiensis illuminates astaxanthin production. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 114(21):E4296–E4305. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1619928114 †equal authorship URL
Roth, MS, Padilla-Gamiño, JL, Pochon, X, Bidigare, RR, Gates, RD, Smith, CM, Spalding, HL. 2015. Fluorescent proteins in dominant mesophotic reef-building corals. Marine Ecology Progress Series 521: 63-79. DOI: 10.3354/meps11108 URL
Roth, MS. 2014. The engine of the reef: Photobiology of the coral-algal symbiosis. Frontiers in Microbiology 5, 422. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00422 URL
Roth, MS, Deheyn, DD. 2013. Effects of cold stress and heat stress on coral fluorescence in reef-building corals. Scientific Reports 3, 1421. DOI: 10.1038/srep01421 URL
*Press about this paper: National Science Foundation and Smithsonian Surprising Science Blog
Roth, MS, Fan, TY, Deheyn, DD. 2013. Life history changes in coral fluorescence and the effects of light intensity on larval physiology and settlement in Seriatopora hystrix. PLoS ONE 8(3): e59476. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059476 URL
Padilla-Gamiño, JL, Bidigare,, RR, Barshis, DJ, Alamaru, A, Hédouin, L, Hernández-Pech, X, Kandel, F, Soon, SL, Roth, MS, Rodrigues, LJ, Grottoli, AG, Portocarrero, C, Wagenhauser, SA, Buttler, F, Gates, RD. 2013. Are all eggs created equal? A case study from the Hawaiian reef-building coral Montipora capitata. Coral Reefs. DOI: 10.1007/s00338-012-0957-1 URL
Roth, MS, Goericke, R, Deheyn, DD. 2012. Cold induces acute stress but heat is ultimately more deleterious for the reef-building coral Acropora yongei. Scientific Reports 2, 240. DOI: 10.1038/srep00240 URL
*Press about this paper: Nature, National Science Foundation, and NYTimes blog piece
Roth, MS, Latz, MI, Goericke, R, Deheyn, DD. 2010. Green fluorescent protein regulation in the coral Acropora yongei during photoacclimation. Journal of Experimental Biology 213: 3644-3655. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059476 URL
Roth, MS, Knowlton, N. 2009. Distribution, abundance and microhabitat characterization of small juvenile corals at Palmyra Atoll. Marine Ecology Progress Series 376: 133-142. DOI: 10.3354/meps07787 URL
Palmer, CV, Roth, MS, Gates, RD. 2009. Red fluorescent protein responsible for pigmentation in trematode infected Porites compressa tissues. Biological Bulletin 216: 68-74. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007298 URL
Sanford, E, Roth, MS, Johns, GC, Wares, JP, Somero, GN. 2003. Local selection and latitudinal variation in a marine predator-prey interaction. Science 300:1135-1137. DOI: 10.1126/science.1083437 URL
Melissa Roth
Berkeley, California 94720-3102