Jiří Forejt
Prof. Jiří Forejt, M.D., Ph.D., DSc.
Prof. Jiří Forejt, M.D., Ph.D., DSc.
Address:Institute of Molecular Genetics
of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Vídeňská 1083
142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic
Phone:+420 325 873 258
E-mail:jiri.forejt@img.cas.cz

Biography

Born: December 28, 1944, Pardubice, Czechoslovakia
.................

Scientific career

2006 - present Professor of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Charles University in Prague
2002 Habilitation in Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Charles University in Prague
1995 - 1996 Visiting Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University
1993 - 1994 Visiting Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University
1991 Doctor of Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague
1980 - 2023 Head of Dept. Mouse Molecular Genetics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague
1975 Candidate of Sciences (equiv. PhD) Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences
1968 Doctor of Medicine (MUDr.) Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Hradec Králové

Membership

2018 - presentInternational Science Advisory Board of Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
2018 - 2020Genetics Society of America
2010 - 2011LABEX – ANR, France– Member of Jury “Laboratories of Excellence”
2014 - 2015ERC Advanced Grants, member of the peer review panel LS2
2006 - 2012ERC Advanced Grants, member of the peer review panel LS2
2012 - 2015Secretariat member, International Mammalian Genome Society
2008 - 2010Scientific Advisory Board, Consortium of an Integrated Genome Research Network, Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin
2007 - 2008Scientific Advisory Board, Center for Genome Dynamics, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA
2003 - 2007Secretariat member, International Mammalian Genome Society
2003 - 2006EMBO YIP Selection Committee, member
1999 - presentEMBO-elected member
1994 - 2022International Mammalian Genome Society
1984 - 2017International Committee for Standardized Mouse Genetic Nomenclature

Scientific awards

  • The Jan Evangelista Purkyně Honorary Medal for Merit in the Biomedical Sciences, Czech Academy of Sciences (2018)
  • Silver commemorative medal of the Senate of Czech Republic (2017)
  • National Award of the Government of Czech Republic “Czech Brain” for outstanding results in Research and Development (2016)
  • Award of the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic (2009)
  • SYSGENET - European systems genetics network (COST program, 2009 - 2013)
  • Premium Academiae to outstanding personalities in science, Czech Academy of Sciences (2007 - 2013)
  • The Gregor Johann Mendel Honorary Medal for Merit in the Biological Sciences, Czech Academy of Sciences (2004)
  • National Institute of Health (USA) grant, co-principal investigator (2004 - 2008)
  • Award of the Czechoslovak (Czech) Academy of Sciences (1984, 1999, 2009)
  • Fifth Framework Program grant (1998 - 2002)
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (USA) Grant for International Scholars (1996 - 2005)
  • National Institute of Health (USA) grant, co-principal investigator (1995 - 1997)
  • National Institute of Health (USA) grant, co-principal investigator (1992 - 1996)
  • Multiple Grants from the Czech Science Foundation (1992 - present)

Selected Publications

  1. AbuAlia KFN, Damm E, Ullrich KK, Mukaj A, Parvanov E, Forejt J, Odenthal-Hesse L: Natural variation in the zinc-finger-encoding exon of Prdm9 affects hybrid sterility phenotypes in mice. Genetics 2024. [pubmed]
  2. Forejt J, Jansa P: Meiotic Recognition of Evolutionarily Diverged Homologs: Chromosomal Hybrid Sterility Revisited. Mol Biol Evol 2023 40(4). [pubmed]
  3. Valiskova B, Gregorova S, Lustyk D, Šimeček P, Jansa P, Forejt J: Genic and chromosomal components of Prdm9-driven hybrid male sterility in mice (Mus musculus). Genetics 2022 222(1). [pubmed]
  4. Forejt J, Jansa P, Parvanov E: Hybrid sterility genes in mice (Mus musculus): a peculiar case of PRDM9 incompatibility. Trends Genet 2021 37(12): 1095-1108. [pubmed]
  5. Gergelits V, Parvanov E, Simecek P, Forejt J: Chromosome-wide characterization of meiotic noncrossovers (gene conversions) in mouse hybrids. Genetics 2021 217(1): 1-14. [pubmed]
  6. Mukaj A, Piálek J, Fotopulosova V, Morgan AP, Odenthal-Hesse L, Parvanov ED, Forejt J: Prdm9 inter-subspecific interactions in hybrid male sterility of house mouse. Mol Biol Evol 2020. [pubmed]
  7. Lustyk D, Kinský S, Ullrich KK, Yancoskie M, Kašíková L, Gergelits V, Sedlacek R, Chan YF, Odenthal-Hesse L, Forejt J, Jansa P: Genomic Structure of Modifier of -Dependent Hybrid Male Sterility in Mice. Genetics 2019 213(3): 1047-1063. [pubmed]
  8. Papanikos F, Clément JAJ, Testa E, Ravindranathan R, Grey C, Dereli I, Bondarieva A, Valerio-Cabrera S, Stanzione M, Schleiffer A, Jansa P, Lustyk D, Fei JF, Adams IR, Forejt J, Barchi M, de Massy B, Toth A: Mouse ANKRD31 Regulates Spatiotemporal Patterning of Meiotic Recombination Initiation and Ensures Recombination between X and Y Sex Chromosomes. Mol Cell 2019 74(5): 1069-1085.e11. [pubmed]
  9. Wang L, Valiskova B, Forejt J: Cisplatin-induced DNA double-strand breaks promote meiotic chromosome synapsis in PRDM9-controlled mouse hybrid sterility. Elife 2018 7. [pubmed]
  10. 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 7. [pubmed]
  11. Balcova M, Faltusova B, Gergelits V, Bhattacharyya T, Mihola O, Trachtulec Z, Knopf C, Fotopulosova V, Chvatalova I, Gregorova S, Forejt J: Hybrid Sterility Locus on Chromosome X Controls Meiotic Recombination Rate in Mouse. PLoS Genet 2016 12(4): e1005906. [pubmed]
  12. Forejt J: Genetics: Asymmetric breaks in DNA cause sterility. Nature 2016 530(7589): 167-8. [pubmed]
  13. Bhattacharyya T, Reifova R, Gregorová S, Šimeček P, Gergelits V, Mistrik M, Martincova I, Pialek J, Forejt J: X Chromosome Control of Meiotic Chromosome Synapsis in Mouse Inter-Subspecific Hybrids PLoS Genet 2014 10(2): e1004088. [pubmed]
  14. Flachs P, Mihola O, Simecek P, Gregorova S, Schimenti JC, Matsui Y, Baudat F, de Massy B, Pialek J, Forejt J, Trachtulec Z: Interallelic and Intergenic Incompatibilities of the Prdm9 (Hst1) Gene in Mouse Hybrid Sterility. PLoS Genetics 2012 8(11): e1003044.
  15. Dzur-Gejdosova M, Simecek P, Gregorova S, Bhattacharyya T, Forejt J: Dissecting the genetic architecture of F1 hybrid sterility in house mice. Evolution 2012 66: 3321-3335. [doi]
  16. Homolka D, Jansa P, Forejt J: Genetically enhanced asynapsis of autosomal chromatin promotes transcriptional dysregulation and meiotic failure. Chromosoma 2012 121(1): 91-104. [pubmed]
  17. Mihola O, Trachtulec Z, Vlcek C, Schimenti JC, Forejt J: A mouse speciation gene encodes a meiotic histone H3 methyltransferase. Science 2009 323(5912): 373-5. [pubmed] [fulltext]
  18. Gregorová S, Divina P, Storchova R, Trachtulec Z, Fotopulosova V, Svenson KL, Donahue LR, Paigen B, Forejt J: Mouse consomic strains: exploiting genetic divergence between Mus m. musculus and Mus m. domesticus subspecies. Genome Res 2008 18(3): 509-15. [pubmed]
  19. Trachtulec Z, Vlcek C, Mihola O, Gregorova S, Fotopulosova V, Forejt J: Fine haplotype structure of a chromosome 17 region in the laboratory and wild mouse. Genetics 2008 178(3): 1777-84. [pubmed]
  20. Pialek J, Vyskocilova M, Bimova B, Havelkova D, Pialkova J, Dufkova P, Bencova V, Dureje L, Albrecht T, Hauffe HC, Macholan M, Munclinger P, Storchova R, Zajicova A, Holan V, Gregorova S, Forejt J: Development of unique house mouse resources suitable for evolutionary studies of speciation. J Hered 2008 99(1): 34-44.
  21. Homolka D, Ivanek R, Capkova J, Jansa P, Forejt J: Chromosomal rearrangement interferes with meiotic X chromosome inactivation. Genome Res 2007 17(10): 1431-7. [pubmed]
  22. Jansa P, Divina P, Forejt J: Construction and characterization of a genomic BAC library for the Mus m. musculus mouse subspecies (PWD/Ph inbred strain). BMC Genomics 2005 6: 161. [pubmed]
  23. Vacík T, Ort M, Gregorová S, Strnad P, Blatny R, Conte N, Bradley A, Bures J, Forejt J: Segmental trisomy of chromosome 17: a mouse model of human aneuploidy syndromes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005 102(12): 4500-5. [pubmed]
  24. Divina P, Vlcek C, Strnad P, Paces V, Forejt J: Global transcriptome analysis of the C57BL/6J mouse testis by SAGE: evidence for nonrandom gene order. BMC Genomics 2005 6: 29. [pubmed]
  25. Churchill GA, Airey DC, Allayee H, Angel JM, Attie AD, Beatty J, Beavis WD, Belknap JK, Bennett B, Berrettini W, Bleich A, Bogue M, Broman KW, Buck KJ, Buckler E, Burmeister M, Chesler EJ, Cheverud JM, Clapcote S, Cook MN, Cox RD, Crabbe JC, Crusio WE, Darvasi A, Deschepper CF, Doerge RW, Farber CR, Forejt J, Gaile D, Garlow SJ, Geiger H, Gershenfeld H, Gordon T, Gu J, Gu W, de Haan G, Hayes NL, Heller C, Himmelbauer H, Hitzemann R, Hunter K, Hsu HC, Iraqi FA, Ivandic B, Jacob HJ, Jansen RC, Jepsen KJ, Johnson DK, Johnson TE, Kempermann G, Kendziorski C, Kotb M, Kooy RF, Llamas B, Lammert F, Lassalle JM, Lowenstein PR, Lu L, Lusis A, Manly KF, Marcucio R, Matthews D, Medrano JF, Miller DR, Mittleman G, Mock BA, Mogil JS, Montagutelli X, Morahan G, Morris DG, Mott R, Nadeau JH, Nagase H, Nowakowski RS, O'Hara BF, Osadchuk AV, Page GP, Paigen B, Paigen K, Palmer AA, Pan HJ, Peltonen-Palotie L, Peirce J, Pomp D, Pravenec M, Prows DR, Qi Z, Reeves RH, Roder J, Rosen GD, Schadt EE, Schalkwyk LC, Seltzer Z, Shimomura K, Shou S, Sillanpää MJ, Siracusa LD, Snoeck HW, Spearow JL, Svenson K, Tarantino LM, Threadgill D, Toth LA, Valdar W, de Villena FP, Warden C, Whatley S, Williams RW, Wiltshire T, Yi N, Zhang D, Zhang M, Zou F: The Collaborative Cross, a community resource for the genetic analysis of complex traits. Nat Genet 2004 36(11): 1133-7. [pubmed]
  26. Storchová R, Gregorová S, Buckiová D, Kyselová V, Divina P, Forejt J: Genetic analysis of X-linked hybrid sterility in the house mouse. Mamm Genome 2004 15(7): 515-24. [pubmed]
  27. Gregorová S, Forejt J. PWD/Ph and PWK/Ph inbred mouse strains of Mus m. musculus subspecies--a valuable resource of phenotypic variations and genomic polymorphisms. Folia Biol (Praha) 2000 46(1):31-41. [pubmed]
  28. Forejt J, Saam JR, Gregorová S, Tilghman SM. Monoallelic expression of reactivated imprinted genes in embryonal carcinoma cell hybrids. Exp Cell Res 1999 252(2):416-22. [pubmed]
  29. Trachtulec Z, Mnuková-Fajdelová M, Hamvas RM, Gregorová S, Mayer WE, Lehrach HR, Vincek V, Forejt J, Klein J. Isolation of candidate hybrid sterility 1 genes by cDNA selection in a 1.1 megabase pair region on mouse chromosome 17. Mamm Genome 1997 8(5):312-6. [pubmed]
  30. Forejt J. Hybrid sterility in the mouse. Trends Genet 1996 12(10):412-7. Erratum in: Trends Genet 1997 13(1):42. [pubmed]
  31. Jansa P, Forejt J. A novel type of retinoic acid response element in the second intron of the mouse H2Kb gene is activated by the RAR/RXR heterodimer. Nucleic Acids Res 1996 15 24(4):694-701. [pubmed]
  32. Gregorová S, Mnuková-Fajdelová M, Trachtulec Z, Capková J, Loudová M, Hoglund M, Hamvas R, Lehrach H, Vincek V, Klein J, Forejt J. Sub-milliMorgan map of the proximal part of mouse Chromosome 17 including the hybrid sterility 1 gene. Mamm Genome 1996 7(2):107-13. [pubmed]
  33. Králová J, Jansa P, Forejt J. A novel downstream regulatory element of the mouse H-2Kb class I major histocompatibility gene. EMBO J 1992 11(12):4591-600. [pubmed]
  34. Forejt J, Gregorová S. Genetic analysis of genomic imprinting: an Imprintor-1 gene controls inactivation of the paternal copy of the mouse Tme locus. Cell 1992 70(3):443-50. [pubmed]
  35. Forejt J, Gregorová S, Jansa P. Three new t-haplotypes of Mus musculus reveal structural similarities to t-haplotypes of Mus domesticus. Genet Res 1988 51(2):111-9. [pubmed]
  36. Forejt J. Chromosomal and genic sterility of hybrid type in mice and men. Exp Clin Immunogenet 1985 2(2):106-19. [pubmed]
  37. Forejt J, Gregorová S, Goetz P. XY pair associates with the synaptonemal complex of autosomal male-sterile translocations in pachytene spermatocytes of the mouse (Mus musculus). Chromosoma 1981 82(1):41-53. [pubmed]
  38. Forejt J, Capková J, Gregorová S. T(16: 17)43H translocation as a tool in analysis of the proximal part of chromosome 17 (including T-t gene complex) of the mouse. Genet Res 1980 35(2):165-77. [pubmed]
  39. Forejt J. Meiotic studies of translocations causing male sterility in the mouse. II. Double heterozygotes for Robertsonian translocations. Cytogenet Cell Genet 1979 23(3):163-70. [pubmed]
  40. Forejt J, Gregorová S. Meiotic studies of translocations causing male sterility in the mouse. I. Autosomal reciprocal translocations. Cytogenet Cell Genet 1977 19(2-3):159-79. [pubmed]
  41. Forejt J. Spermatogenic failure of translocation heterozygotes affected by H-2-linked gene in mouse. Nature 1976 260(5547):143-5. [pubmed]
  42. Forejt J, Iványi P. Genetic studies on male sterility of hybrids between laboratory and wild mice (Mus musculus L.). Genet Res 1974 24(2):189-206. [pubmed]
  43. Forejt J, Půza V. Effect of glycerol on tissue culture cells. Folia Biol (Praha) 1968 14(2): 156-60. [pubmed]

 

Mouse strains and mutants

Mice and frozen sperm samples for IVF are available free of charge, provided that the interested party will take care of the shipment.

More information - jiri.forejt@img.cas.cz.

List of available mouse strains

Lab Code Full Name Frozen Sperm Live Mice Reference Comment
D1 C57BL/6J-Chr 1PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D3 C57BL/6J-Chr 3PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D4 C57BL/6J-Chr 4PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D5 C57BL/6J-Chr 5PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D6 C57BL/6J-Chr 6PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D7 C57BL/6J-Chr 7PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D8 C57BL/6J-Chr 8PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D9 C57BL/6J-Chr 9PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D10-m C57BL/6J-Chr 10.2PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D10-d C57BL/6J-Chr 10.3PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D11-p C57BL/6J-Chr 11.1PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D11-m C57BL/6J-Chr 11.2PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D11-d C57BL/6J-Chr 11.3PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D12 C57BL/6J-Chr 12PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D14 C57BL/6J-Chr 14PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D15 C57BL/6J-Chr 15PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D16 C57BL/6J-Chr 16PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D16-d C57BL/6J-Chr 16.3PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D17 C57BL/6J-Chr 17PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D18 C57BL/6J-Chr 18PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
D19 C57BL/6J-Chr 19PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
DX-p C57BL/6J-Chr X.1PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
DX-p(S) C57BL/6J-Chr X.1sPWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
DX-m C57BL/6J-Chr X.2PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
DX-d C57BL/6J-Chr X.3PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
DY C57BL/6J-Chr YPWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 1 Chromosome substitution (consomic) strains
t121/t121 t121/t121 ✓ Unpublished, viable recombinant of t12 haplotype
Ttf/t12 Ttf/t12 ✓ 2 Tailless balanced lethal stock with t12 haplotype
tp4/T tp4/T ✓ 3 Tailless balanced lethal stock with t4 haplotype from Mus m. musculus
B10.T43/T43 T(16;17)43 ✓ 4 T43 reciprocal translocation on B6 background
T43/T43 T(16;17)43 ✓ 4 T43 reciprocal translocation on mixed background
B10.T C57BL/6J-T ✓ Dominant Brachyury mutation
129.Thp ✓ 5 Dominant T-hairpin mutation
Rb7 Bnr ✓ 6 Robertsonian fusion Chr 17 and 16
DX_64-69s C57BL/6J-Chr X.64-69PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 7
DX_66-69s C57BL/6J-Chr X.66-69PWD/Ph/ForeJ ✓ 7
DXpS.Fmr1KO ✓ 7
B6-Msh6 -/- ✓ Unpublished 2024
PWD ✓ 8 Wild-derived - Mus m. musculus
PWK ✓ 8 Wild-derived - Mus m. musculus
B6-Msh2 +/- ✓ ✓ Unpublished 2024
PWD-Msh +/- ✓ ✓ Unpublished 2024

References

  1. Gregorová S, Divina P, Storchova R, Trachtulec Z, Fotopulosova V, Svenson KL, Donahue LR, Paigen B, Forejt J: Mouse consomic strains: exploiting genetic divergence between Mus m. musculus and Mus m. domesticus subspecies. Genome Res 2008 18(3): 509-15. [pubmed]
  2. Homolka D, Ivanek R, Capkova J, Jansa P, Forejt J: Chromosomal rearrangement interferes with meiotic X chromosome inactivation. Genome Res 2007 17(10): 1431-7. [pubmed]
  3. Forejt J, Gregorová S, Jansa P. Three new t-haplotypes of Mus musculus reveal structural similarities to t-haplotypes of Mus domesticus. Genet Res 1988 51(2):111-9. [pubmed]
  4. Forejt J, Capková J, Gregorová S. T(16: 17)43H translocation as a tool in analysis of the proximal part of chromosome 17 (including T-t gene complex) of the mouse. Genet Res 1980 35(2):165-77. [pubmed]
  5. Forejt J, Gregorová S. Genetic analysis of genomic imprinting: an Imprintor-1 gene controls inactivation of the paternal copy of the mouse Tme locus. Cell 1992 70(3):443-50. [pubmed]
  6. Forejt J. Meiotic studies of translocations causing male sterility in the mouse. II. Double heterozygotes for Robertsonian translocations. Cytogenet Cell Genet 1979 23(3):163-70. [pubmed]
  7. Lustyk D, Kinský S, Ullrich KK, Yancoskie M, Kašíková L, Gergelits V, Sedlacek R, Chan YF, Odenthal-Hesse L, Forejt J, Jansa P: Genomic Structure of Modifier of -Dependent Hybrid Male Sterility in Mice. Genetics 2019 213(3): 1047-1063. [pubmed]
  8. Gregorová S, Forejt J. PWD/Ph and PWK/Ph inbred mouse strains of Mus m. musculus subspecies--a valuable resource of phenotypic variations and genomic polymorphisms. Folia Biol (Praha) 2000 46(1):31-41. [pubmed]

Varia

Interview

Scientific knowledge is like building the Tower of Babel, says Prof. Jiří Forejt. His career at IMG began 55 years ago
(The interview is available in both Czech and English. Source: www.img.cas.cz)

 

 

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