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02.11.2010

Forejt Jiří

Prof., MUDr., DrSc., DSc. 
Born on December 28, 1944

  • Molecular genetics and genomics of laboratory mice
  • Member of Learned Society since 1999

Educational and professional preparation

  • 1962-68, MUDr. Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Hradec Králové.
  • 1975, CSc. in genetics, Institute of Molecular Genetics, CSAS, Prague.
  • 1991, DrSc. in genetics, Charles University, Prague.
  • 2002, Associate Professor, molecular biology and genetics, Faculty of Science CU.
  • 2006, Full professor, molecular biology and genetics, Faculty of Science CU.

Employment and academic positions

  • 1968-present, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (originally Institute of Experimental Biology and Genetics, CSAS).
  • 1992-1993, 1995-1996, Visiting Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Membership in domestic scientific bodies

  • 2019-present, Member, International Scientific Advisory Board, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Scienees.
  • 2003-present, Chairman, Commission for Granting Title of DSc (Research Professor) in Genetics and Genomics.
  • 2001-2005, Vice-Chairman, Council for Sciences Czech Academy of Sciences.

Membership and positions in selected international organizations and societies

  • 1984-1991, Elected member, Internat. Committee for Standardized Mouse Genetic Nomenclature.
  • 1991-present, International Mammalian Genome Society.
  • 1998-2001, Chairman, Chromosome 17 Committee.
  • 1996-2004, Howard Hughes Medical Institute–International Scholar.
  • 1999-present, European Molecular Biology Organization-Elected member.
  • 1998-2002, Slovak Commissions for Defence of Doctoral Theses - 15-02-9, 15-01-9 and 15-16-9.
  • 2003-2006, Member, EMBO YIP Selection Committee.
  • 2003-2007, Elected member, Secretariat, International Mammalian Genome Society.
  • 2006-2012, ERC Advanced Grants, member of ERC peer review panel: Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology (LS2).
  • I2010-2011, LABEX – ANR – Member of International Jury “Laboratories of Excellence” Paris, France.
  • 2008-present, member, Scientific Advisory Board, Consortium of an Integrated Genome Research Network, Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin
  • Member, editorial boards (in the past and present): Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics, Mouse Genome, Experimental and Clinical Immunogenetics, Roux Archives of Developmental Biology, Mammalian Genome, Folia Biologica.
    Ad hoc reviewer for: Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA, Genomics, Genes and Development, Genetical Research, Genome research, Genetics, J. Andrology, Gene.
  • Main organizer, international symposia: 1983, Molecular Biology of Embryonic and Teratocarcinoma Stem Cells; 1990, VIIth International Workshop of Mouse Molecular Genetics; 1996, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Conference of International Fellows- (Chairman, local organization committee), 22nd International Mouse Genome Conference, Prague, 2008.

Notable awards

  • 1984, Prize, CSAS.
  • 1999, 2009, Prize, AS CR.
  • 2004, Gregor Mendel Medal, AS CR.
  • 2007-2013, Praemium Academiae, AS CR.
  • 2009, Prize, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
  • 2016, Czech Head) National Government Award (Česká hlava).
  • 2017, Silver Commemorative Medal of the Senate of the Parliament of Czech Republic.
  • 2018, The Jan Evangelista Purkyně Honorary Medals for Merit in the Biomedical Sciences of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Selected publications

  • Mukaj A, Piálek J, Fotopulosova V, Morgan AP, Odenthal-Hesse L, Parvanov ED, Forejt J. Prdm9 Intersubspecific Interactions in Hybrid Male Sterility of House Mouse. Mol Biol Evol. 2020 Dec 16;37(12):3423-3438.
  • Wang L, Valiskova B, Forejt J. Cisplatin-induced DNA double-strand breaks promote meiotic chromosome synapsis in PRDM9-controlled mouse hybrid sterility Elife. 2018 Dec 28;7:e42511.
  •  Gregorova S, Gergelits V, Chvatalova I, Bhattacharyya T, Valiskova B,  Fotopulosova V, Jansa P, Wiatrowska D, Forejt J. Modulation of Prdm9-controlled meiotic chromosome asynapsis overrides hybrid sterility in mice. Elife. 2018 Mar 14;7:e34282.
  • Forejt J. Genetics: Asymmetric breaks in DNA cause sterility. Nature. 2016 Feb 11;530(7589):167-8.
  • Bhattacharyya T, Gregorova S, Mihola O, Anger M, Sebestova J, Denny P,  Simecek P, Forejt J. Mechanistic basis of infertility of mouse intersubspecific hybrids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Feb 5;110(6):E468-77.
  • Mihola, O., Trachtulec, Z., Vlcek, C., Schimenti, J.C., Forejt, J: A mouse speciation gene encodes a meiotic Histone H3 methyltransferase. Science 323, 373—375, 2009.
  • Gregorová, S., Divina, P., Storchova, R., Trachtulec, Z., Fotopulosova, V., Svenson, K.L., Donahue, L.R., Paigen, B., Forejt, J.: Mouse consomic strains: Exploiting genetic divergence between Mus m. musculus and Mus m. domesticus subspecies. Genome Research 18, 509-505, 2008.
  • Forejt, J.: Hybrid sterility in the mouse. Trend. Genet. 12, 412-417, 1996
  • Forejt, J., Gregorova, S.: Genetic analysis of genomic imprinting: An Imprintor-1 gene controls inactivation of the paternal copy of the mouse Tme locus. Cell 70, 443-450, 1992.
  • Kralova, J., Jansa, P., Forejt, J.: A novel downstream regulatory element of the mouse H-2K b class I major histocompatibility gene. EMBO J. 11, 4591-4600,1992.
  • Forejt, J.: Spermatogenic failure of translocation heterozygotes affected by H-2 linked gene in mouse. Nature (London) 260,143-145, 1976.

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