CURRICULUM VITAE
Balint Zoltan Kacsoh, Ph.D.
Office Address:
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Perelman School of Medicine
Epigenetics Institute
9th floor
Smilow Center for Translational Research
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Telephone: 478-361-0450
Skype: BalintZKacsoh
Email: balintzkacsoh@gmail.com
Orchid ID number: 0000-0001-9171-0611
Research Gate: Balint_Kacsoh2
Twitter: @BalintZKacsoh
Website: BalintZKacsoh
Education
2019-present Post-Doctoral Fellow, Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Mechanisms that regulate gene expression with a special emphasis on how the DNA-packaging structure of chromatin is manipulated during genomic processes in ant societies.
Mentor: Dr. Shelley Berger
2013-2019 Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, PhD in Molecular and Systems Biology.
Dissertation title: Elucidating genes, circuits and behavior in a novel Drosophila social learning and memory paradigm.
Mentor: Dr. Giovanni Bosco
2012 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, M.S., Biology. M.S. defense in Spring 2012.
Dissertation title: The anti-wasp immune response across the genus Drosophila.
Mentor(s): Dr. Todd Schlenke and Dr. Nathan T. Mortimer
2012 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, B.S., Biology
Project: The anti-wasp immune response across the genus Drosophila.
Mentor(s): Dr. Todd Schlenke and Dr. Nathan T. Mortimer
Research Positions
June 2019-Present Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Shelley Berger
August 2013-June 2019 Graduate student, Dartmouth College, Dr. Giovanni Bosco
April 2013-August 2013 Lead Research Assistant, Dartmouth College, Dr. Giovanni Bosco
May 2012-April 2013 Lead Research Specialist, Emory University, Dr. Todd Schlenke and Dr. Nathan T. Mortimer
January 2009-May 2012 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Emory University, Dr. Todd Schlenke and Dr. Nathan T. Mortimer
Awards and Honors
2020 Early Career Scientist, Genetics Society of America
2020 Larry Sandler Memorial Award, (best Drosophila PhD thesis), award by Genetics Society of America
2019 PLOS Genetics Research Prize, Winning Article, PLOS Genetics
2019 Hannah Croasdale Graduate Scholar Award for Academic Excellence presented by the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at Dartmouth
2019 Drosophila Image Award, Honorable Mention: 60th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Dallas, TX., awarded by the Genetics Society of America
2019 DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics, awarded by the Genetics Society of America
2015 Best Poster (First Place). 1st Annual Celebration of Biomedical Research at Dartmouth (CBRaD).
2013 Best Graduate Student Poster (Third Place): Trans-generational medication in Drosophila sechellia. 54th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Washington D.C.
2012 Best Undergraduate Poster (Second Place): High hemocyte load is associated with increased resistance against parasitoids in Drosophila suzukii, a relative of D. melanogaster. 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Chicago, IL.
2010 Presidential Bronze Medal for Community Service
2010 Best Poster at Undergraduate Poster Symposium, Emory University
Contributions to science
Learning, memory and social behavior
As a graduate student at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, under the mentorship of Dr. Giovanni Bosco, my primary studies were on learning, memory, and social behavior in Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly). For learning and memory, we utilized an ecologically relevant stimulus (a predatory wasp), to elicit a non-associative memory, that we analyzed for decay following exposure across time. Using this assay, we find an age dependent decline of memory maintenance. For social behaviors, we find that flies exposed to predators engage in social interactions whereby naive flies learn and remember as if they had seen the predator. We have proposed that this social behavior constitutes a fly “language” and have observed both intraspecies and interspecies communication to exist throughout the genus Drosophila. The following publications during my graduate school tenure (2013-present) detail these findings, in addition to other collaborative projects.
2019 N Zhou, Y Jiang, TR Bergquist, AJ Lee, BZ Kacsoh, AW Crocker, KA Lewis, G Georghiou, HN Nguyen, MN Hamid, L Davis, The Critical Assessment of Function Annotation, B Rost, SE Brenner, CA Orengo, CJ Jeffery, G Bosco, DA Hogan, MJ Martin, C O'Donovan, SD Mooney, CS Greene, P Radivojac, I Friedberg (2019) The CAFA challenge reports improved protein function prediction and new functional annotations for hundreds of genes through experimental screens. Genome Biology. doi: doi.org/10.1186/s13059-019-1835-8. PMID:
2019 Bozler J, Kacsoh BZ, Bosco G (2019) Maternal Priming of Offspring Immune System in Drosophila. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. doi: doi.org/10.1534/g3.119.400852. PMID:
2019 Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Hodge S, Bosco G (2019) The neural circuitry of learning dialects in a Drosophila language. Communications Biology. doi: doi.org/10.1038/s42003-019-0557-5. PMID: 31428697
2019 Bozler J, Kacsoh BZ, Bosco G (2019) Transgeneratonal inheritance of ethanol preference is caused by maternal NPF repression eLife. doi: doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45391. PMID: 31287057
2019 Kacsoh BZ, Barton S, Jiang Y, Mooney SD, Friedberg I, Radivojac P, Greene CS, Bosco G (2018) New Drosophila long-term memory genes revealed by assessing computational function prediction methods. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. doi: doi.org/10.1534/g3.118.200867. PMID: 30463884
2018 Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Bosco G (2018) Drosophila species learn dialects through communal living. Plos Genetics. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007430. PMID: 30024883
Preview: Manak JR (2018) Multiculturalism is good for flies, too. Plos Genetics. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007480
2017 Bozler J, Kacsoh BZ, Bosco G (2017) Nematocytes: Discovery and characterization of a novel anculeate hemocyte in Drosophila falleni and Drosophila phalerata. Plos One. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188133. PMID: 29141015
2017 Bozler J*, Kacsoh BZ*, Chen H, Theurkauf WE, Weng Z, Bosco G (2017) A systems level approach to temporal expression dynamics in Drosophila reveals clusters of long term memory genes. Plos Genetics. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007054. PMID: 29084214
2017 Kacsoh BZ, Greene CS, Bosco G (2017) Machine Learning Analysis Identifies Drosophila Grunge/Atrophin as an Important Learning and Memory Gene Required for Memory Retention and Social Learning. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. doi.org/10.1534/g3.117.300172 . PMID: 28889104
2016 Allaway RJ, Fischer DA, de Abreu FB, Gardner TB, Gordon SR, Barth RJ, Colacchio TA, Wood M, Kacsoh BZ, Bouley SJ, Cui J, Hamilton J, Choi JA, Lange JT, Peterson JD, Padmanabhan V, Tomlinson CR, Tsongalis GJ, Suriawinata A, Greene CS, Sanchez Y, Smith KD (2016) Genomic characterization of patient-derived xenograft models established from fine needle aspirate biopsies of a primary pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and from patient-matched metastatic sites. Oncotarget. 7(13):17087-102. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.7718. PMID: 26934555
2015 Kacsoh BZ*, Bozler J*, Ramaswami M, Bosco G (2015) Social communication of predator-induced changes in Drosophila behavior and germ line physiology. eLife. May 13, 2015. doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07423. PMID: 25970035
2015 Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Hodge S, Ramaswami M, Bosco G (2015) Non-Associative Long-Term Memory Formation in Drosophila Requires Mushroom Body Specific Functions to Maintain Predator-Induced Changes in Oviposition Behavior. Genetics. April 1, 2015 vol. 199 no. 4 1143-1157, doi:10.1534/genetics. 114.172221. PMID: 25633088
Innate and behavioral immunity
As an undergraduate student at Emory University, under the mentorship of Dr. Nathan Mortimer and Todd Schlenke, I studied the physiological and behavioral immune response of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) and other Drosophilids in the genus Drosophila in response to predatory wasps. We uncovered physiological mechanisms of Drosophila larvae allowing successful immune responses in addition to uncovering novel wasp venom components. We also uncovered multiple unique behavioral responses of adult Drosophila to the predatory wasps. The following 7 publications during my undergraduate tenure detail these studies.
2014 Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Schlenke TA (2014) A role for nematocytes in the cellular immune response of the Drosophilid Zaprionus indianus. Parasitology. Apr;141(5):697-715. doi: 10.1017/S0031182013001431. PMID: 24476764
2013 Mortimer NT, Goecks J, Kacsoh BZ, Mobley JA, Bowersock GJ, Taylor J, Schlenke TA (2013) Parasitoid wasp venom SERCA regulates Drosophila calcium levels and inhibits cellular immunity. PNAS 110, doi: 9427- 9432 10.1073/pnas.1222351110. PMID: 23690612
2013 Kacsoh BZ, Lynch ZR, Mortimer NT, Schlenke TA (2013) Fruit Flies Medicate Offspring After Seeing Parasites. Science, 2013; 339 (6122): 947 doi: 10.1126/science.1229625. PMID: 23430653
2012 Kacsoh BZ, Schlenke TA (2012) High hemocyte load is associated with increased resistance against parasitoids in Drosophila suzukii, a relative of D. melanogaster. PLoS One 7:e34721. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034721. PMID: 22529929
2012 Milan N*, Kacsoh BZ*, Schlenke TA (2012) Alcohol consumption as self-medication against blood-borne parasites in the fruitfly. Current Biology 22:488-493. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.01.045. PMID: 22342747
2012 Mortimer NT, Kacsoh BZ, Keebaugh ES, Schlenke TA (2012) Mgat1-dependent N-glycosylation of membrane components primes Drosophila melanogaster blood cells for the cellular encapsulation response. PLoS Pathogens, 8:e1002819. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002819. PMID: 22829770
2012 Lefèvre T, de Roode JC, Kacsoh BZ, Schlenke TA (2012) Defence strategies against a parasitoid wasp in Drosophila: fight or flight? Biol Lett. 8(2):230-3. Epub 2011 Aug 24. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0725. PMID: 21865240
*Indicates co-first authorship
Complete List of 15 Published Works in MyBibliography on NCBI and Google Scholar.
All Since 2014
Citations 501 433
h-index 10 10
i10-index 10 10
Manuscripts in Preparation
2020 Mortimer NT, Fischer M, Waring AL, Ranganath PK, Kacsoh BZ, Brantley S, Hill J, Lark C, Martin J, Baines P, Vrailas-Mortimer AD, Schlenke TA (2020) Extracellular matrix protein N-glycosylation mediates immune self-tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster (submitted to Cell)
2020 Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Hodge S, Bosco G (2019) Age dependent decline of non-associative long-term memory is dependent on FMR and PTEN function in addition to mushroom body morphology. (submitted to GENETICS)
2020 Kacsoh BZ, Nguyen HQ, Bosco G (2019) The Condensin II subunit Cap-H2 acts as a mediator of hybrid dysgenesis. (submitted to G3)
2020 Kacsoh BZ, Bosco G (2019) Drosophila as an emerging model for social behavior and social structure. (in review at Genetics)
2020 Kacsoh BZ, Sadanandappa MK, Ramaswami M, Bosco G (2019) Synapsin serves as a memory extinction gene in Drosophila. (in preparation)
Abstracts and Presentations
2019* June—Kacsoh BZ. GSA Early Career Scientist Seminar Series, presented by the Genetics Society of America. The neural circuitry of learning dialects in Drosophila species.
2019 April—Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Hodge S, Bosco G. The neural circuitry of learning dialects in Drosophila species. 60th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Dallas, TX.
2018 April—Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Bosco G. Drosophila species learn dialects through communal living. 59th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
2017* October—Kacsoh BZ, Greene CS, Bosco G. Machine Learning Analysis Identifies Drosophila Grunge/Atrophin as an Important Learning and Memory Gene Required for Memory Retention and Social Learning. Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology, Education and Research. Normal, Illinois.
2016 May— Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Hodge S, Bosco G. Influences of age on non-associative long-term memory and learning in Drosophila
Chromatin, Epigenetics & Transcription. Cold Spring Harbor, Asia. Suzhou, China
2013 April—Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Schlenke TA. A role for nematocytes in the cellular immune response of the Drosophilid Zaprionus indianus
54th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Washington D.C.
2013 April—Kacsoh BZ, Lynch ZR, Mortimer NT, Schlenke TA. Trans-generational medication in Drosophila sechellia
54th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Washington D.C.
2012 March—Kacsoh, BZ and Schlenke, TA. High hemocyte load is associated with increased resistance against parasitoids in Drosophila suzukii, a relative of D. melanogaster
53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Chicago, IL.
2012 March—Kacsoh, BZ and Schlenke, TA. The anti-wasp immune response across the genus Drosophila.
53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Chicago, IL.
2010 April—Kacsoh, BZ and Schlenke, TA. Evolutionary Patterns in immune responses of Drosophila in Parasitic Wasp Interactions
Undergraduate Symposium, Emory, GA.
* denotes invited talk
Workshops & Career Development
2019 60th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Dallas, TX.
2018 59th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
2017 Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology, Education and Research. Normal, Illinois.
2016 Chromatin, Epigenetics & Transcription. Cold Spring Harbor, Asia. Suzhou, China
2013 54th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Washington D.C.
2012 Drosophila Species Workshop, UCSD, CA.
2012 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Chicago, IL.
Reviewer: eLife, BMC Genomics, Communications Biology, PlosOne
Professional Societies
Genetics Society of America (2012-present)
Out reach
Present Penn Academy for Reproductive Sciences (PARS) program
Present SPARK program
Present Skype-a-Scientist