Miguel Cervantes-Cervantes

In recent years my interest has focused on biochemical genetics of cereal seeds and bioinformatics. The seeds of maize, rice, wheat and other cereals are indispensable in the diet of a large proportion of the human population. I find the phenomenon of seed germination a most intriguing subject because of the significant number of metabolic pathways that occur during embryonic development. In addition, mechanisms for transport of water, ions and small organic molecules are essential components of seed. Understanding biochemical phenomena and regulation of gene expression in the cereal seed will facilitate metabolic engineering efforts, as scientists world-wide aim to enhance nutritional content, adaptation to adverse environments, storage, and other agriculturally important aspects of seed physiology.

Another important professional concern of mine is science education at the college and university level. The United States of America must, once again, take the lead in science productivity and as a consequence in the education of its citizens in the sciences. I am always searching for ways to channel scientific discovery and discourse into learning in the teaching laboratory, the lecture hall, and the world as a global classroom.

Bao, M, Cervantes-Cervantes M, Zhong L, Wang JTL. 2012. Searching for Non-coding RNAs in Genomic sequences using ncRNAscout. Genomics, Proteomics Bioinformatics 10:114-121.

Griesmer SJ,  Cervantes-Cervantes M, Wang JTL. 2011. In Silico Prediction of Noncoding-RNAs Using Supervised Learning and Feature Ranking Methods. Intl J Bioinform Res Appl 7:355-375.

Hua L, Cervantes-Cervantes M, Wang JTL. 2011. A New Approach to the Discovery of RNA Structural Elements in the Human Genome. Pp. 117-132. In: Elnitski L, Piontkivska, Welch L (eds.), Genome-scale Pattern Analysis in the Post-ENCODE Era. Science, Engineering, and Biology Informatics, Vol. 7. World Scientific Publishing Company, Singapore.

Kandel JS, Sullivan KS, Murad K, Esiobu Nwadiuto, Cervantes-Cervantes M 2011. Instructor's Manual and Test Bank to Accompany Slonczewski J and Foster‚ Microbiology: An Evolving Science, 2nd Edition, Chapters 12-15, 18. WW Norton Publishers, New York.

Byron K, Cervantes-Cervantes M, Yu X, Wang JTL. 2010. Biological Informatics: Data, Tools, and Applications. In: Maullik U, Bandyopadhyay S, Wang JTL (eds.), Computational Intelligence and Pattern Analysis in Biological Informatics, pp. 59-69. John Wiley & Sons.

Byron K, Cervantes-Cervantes M, Wang JTL. 2010. Mining Rox1 RNA in Drosophila genomes using covariance models. Int J Comput Biol 1:22-32.

Cervantes-Cervantes, M. 2008. Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory Manual. Federated Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University-Newark Campus/New Jersey Institute of Technology (electronic version only).

Nuntanakorn P, Jiang B, Yang H, Cervantes-Cervantes M, Kronenberg F, Kennelly EJ. 2007. Analysis of polyphenolic compounds and radical scavenging activity of four Actaea species. Phytochem Anal 18:219-228.

Cervantes-Cervantes M, Gallagher CE, Zhu C, Wurtzel ET. 2006. Maize cDNAs expressed in endosperm encode functional farnesyl diphosphate synthase with geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase activity. Plant Physiol 140:220-231.

Aisemberg GO, Cervantes-Cervantes M, Pappantoniou A. 2004. Principles of Biology 1: Cells and Genes, Laboratory Manual, 2nd edition. Lehman College-CUNY and Whittier Publications.

Gallagher CE, Cervantes-Cervantes M,  Wurtzel ET. 2003. Surrogate biochemistry: Use of Escherichia coli to identify plant cDNAs that impact metabolic engineering of carotenoid accumulation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 60:713-719.

Opler A, Mizell R, Robert A, Cervantes-Cervantes M, Kincaid D, Kennelly EJ. 2002. Use of a simple and inexpensive bioassay to study herbal teas in the classroom results in original data. Am Biol Teacher 64:516-524.

Cervantes-C M, Zamudio-Ruiz S. 2001. Lentibulariaceae. In: Rzedowski, GC-de, Rzedowski J, et al. Flora Fanerogamica del Valle de Mexico, 2nd  Edn, Instituto de Ecologia, AC and Comision Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad, Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. Pp. 706-709.

Kuo A, Cappelluti S, Cervantes-Cervantes M, Rodriguez M, Bush DS. 1996. Okadaic acid, a protein phosphatase inhibitor, blocks calcium changes, gene expression and cell death induced by gibberellin in wheat aleurone cells. Plant Cell 8:259-269.

Cervantes-Cervantes M, Bush DS. 1994. Role of a Ca2+/H+ antiporter in the regulation of cytoplasmic calcium in aleurone layers from wheat. American Society for Plant Physiology, 1994 Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon. Plant Physiol 105(Suppl.):149.

Leustek T, Murillo M, Cervantes M. 1994. Cloning of a cDNA encoding ATP sulfurylase from Arabidopsis thaliana by functional expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.  Plant Physiol 105:897-902.

Price CA, Cervantes-Cervantes M, Hadjeb N, Newman LA and Oren-Shamir M. 1993. Molecular biology of chromoplast development. In: Sunqvist, Christer and Margareta Ryberg (eds.), Pigment-protein Complexes in Plastids: Synthesis and Assembly. Academic Press, San Diego. Pp. 485-505.

Oren-Shamir, M, M. Cervantes-C, N. Hadjeb, L.A. Newman, and C.A. Price. 1990. Chromoplast-specific proteins in different genotypes of Capsicum annuum. Plant Physiol. 93(Suppl.):89.

Cervantes-Cervantes, M, Hadjeb N, Newman LA, Price CA. 1990. ChrA is a carotenoid-binding protein in chromoplasts of Capsicum annuum. Plant Physiol. 92:1241-1243.

Estrada-Parra S, Garcia-Castañeda MT, Cervantes-Cervantes M. 1988. Antigenos y Antigenicidad. In: Hicks JJ, Díaz-Zagoya JC (eds), Bioquimica e Inmunologia, Vol. II, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, México, D.F. Pp. 409-424.

Estrada-Parra S, Garcia-Castañeda MT, Cervantes-Cervantes M. 1988. Reaccion Antigeno-Anticuerpo. In: Hicks JJ, Díaz-Zagoya JC (eds), Bioquimica e Inmunologia, Vol. II, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, México, D.F. Pp. 425-437.

Cervantes-Cervantes M. 1985. Lentibulariaceae. In: Rzedowski J, Rzedowski  GC-de (eds.), Flora Fanerogámica del Valle de México, Vol. II. Instituto de Ecologia, A.C, México. Pp. 371-375.
 

Licenciatura in Biology, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, 1981.

M.S. in Biochemistry, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, 1986.

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Rutgers University/UMDNJ, 1991.