The Giassetti lab studies how spermatogenesis impacts male fertility and offspring development in various animals.
Visit our site to learn more about our research, stay updated on our discoveries, and find opportunities to join our team.
Get to know our Research
Join us to explore mammalian male fertility!
Our mission?
To discover the hidden and evolutionarily conserved molecular and cellular pathways behind sperm production and find new solutions for male infertility across species.
Sperm production, or spermatogenesis, is crucial for successful reproduction, but disruptions can lead to infertility. With cutting-edge techniques like gene editing and integrative OMICS data analysis, we're diving deep into the molecular modulation of spermatogenesis in model and non-model mammals. But our research isn't just about understanding biology—it's about making a real-world impact.
By uncovering these secrets, we can protect biodiversity, improve livestock genetics, and even enhance endangered species’ reproductive health.
So, come on this journey with us!
Understanding Paternal Influence: From Mice to Non-Model Species in Reproductive Health and Beyond
Exploring the Molecular Mechanisms of Male Germ Cell Fate of Development Through Phylogenetics.
The mammalian testis is a complex environment housing various cell types crucial for sperm production, including germ cells at different developmental stages and supportive somatic cells. Through comparative analyses of testicular cell populations across species, we aim to decipher how sperm differentiation evolves and initiates meiosis.
Understanding the Factors Influencing Male Infertility in Model and Non-Model Mammalian Species
Spermatogenesis relies on a complex communication between germ cells and neighboring somatic cells. We're using advanced techniques like multi-omics analysis and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to uncover the genetic pathways and interactions driving sperm production. Our goal is to understand these mechanisms thoroughly, pinpointing specific molecular regulators unique to germ cells. Then, we aim to replicate and manipulate these targets in laboratory settings or living organisms, with the aim of applying these discoveries to help non-model animals.
Determine the Paternal Impact of Male Fertility and Early Embryonic Development in Animals
Paternal factors impact early embryonic development. We are using reproductive techniques like IVF, ICSI, and embryo culture to evaluate the paternal effect in mice and non-model species. We also analyze molecular pathways involved in paternal effects through transcriptomic and proteomic analyses. Our objective is to better understand the role of paternal factors in reproductive outcomes, which can impact biodiversity conservation.
Publications
GIASSETTI, M.I., MIAO, D., LAW, N.C. ET AL. ARRDC5 expression is conserved in mammalian testes and required for normal sperm morphogenesis. Nat Commun 14, 2111 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37735-y
CICCARELLI M, GIASSETTI M, MIAO M, OATLEY MJ, ROBBINS C, LOPEZ-BILADEAU B, WAQAS S, TIBARY A, WHITELAW B, LILLICO S, PARK CH, PARK KE, TELUGU B, FAN Z, LIU Y, REGOUSKI M, POLEJAEVA I, OATLEY JM. Donor-derived spermatogenesis following stem cell transplantation in sterile NANOS2 knockout males, PNAS, 2020 117 (39) 24195-24204; first published September 14, 2020; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2010102117
DEQIANG MIAO, MARIANA IANELLO GIASSETTI, MICHELA CICCARELLI, BLANCA LOPEZ-BILADEAU, JON M OATLEY. Simplified pipelines for genetic engineering of mammalian embryos by CRISPR-Cas9 electroporation. Biology of Reproduction, Volume 101, Issue 1, July 2019, Pages 177–187, https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioz075
MARIANA I. GIASSETTI, MICHELA CICCARELLI, AND JON M. OATLEY Spermatogonial Stem Cell Transplantation: Insights and Outlook for Domestic Animals. Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, Vol. 7:385-401 (Volume publication date February 2019), https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-animal-020518-115239
CHRISTINE M. DEPOMPEO DVM MARIANA IANELLO GIASSETTI DVM, PHD MAHMOUD M. ELNAGGAR BVSC, MVSC, PHD JON M. OATLEY PHD WILLIAM C. DAVIS PHD BOEL A. FRANSSON DVM, PHD. Isolation of canine adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells from falciform tissue obtained via laparoscopic morcellation: A pilot study. Veterinary surgery, vol. 49, issue s1, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13267
GOISSIS, M.D., GIASSETTI, M.I., WORST, R.A., MENDES, C.M., MOREIRA, P.V., ASSUMPÇÃO, M.E.O.A., VISINTIN, J.A. Spermatogonial stem cell potential of CXCR4-positive cells from pre-pubertal bovine testis, Anim. Repro. Sci. 2018 Sep;196:219-229. doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2018.08.014.
GIASSETTI, M.I., DE BARROS, F.R.O., MENDES, C.M., GOISSIS, M.D., MARIA, F.S., SIQUEIRA, A.F.P., SIMÕES, R., ASSUMPÇÃO, M.E.A., VISINTIN, J.A. In vitro culture of ovine mammary gland cells expressing beta-lactoglobulin and beta-casein. Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science, 54(2), 188-196. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1678-4456.bjvras.2017.125590
GIASSETTI, M.I., GOISSIS, M.D., DE BARROS, F.R.O., MOREIRA, P.V., ASSUMPÇÃO, M.E.O.A, VISINTIN, J.A. Effect of age on expression of spermatogonial markers in bovine testis and isolated cells, Animal Reproduction Science (DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2016.04.004)
GIASSETTI, M.I., GOISSIS, M.D., DE BARROS, F.R.O., BRUNO, A.H., ASSUMPÇÃO, M.E.O.A, VISINTIN, J.A. Comparison of spermatogonial stem cell markers after diverse differential plating methods of bovine testicular cells, Reproduction in Domestic Animals (doi: 10.1111/rda.12641).
MARQUES, M.G, DE BARROS, F.R.O., GOISSIS, M.D, GIASSETTI, M.I., ASSUMPÇÃO, M.E.O.A, VISINTIN, J.A. Effect of oocyte recovery techniques on in vitro production of swine embryos. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, In Press.Q
YANG, MI GIASSETTI, AD EALY. Fibroblast growth factors activate mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways to promote migration in ovine trophoblast cells, Reproduction, 141 (5) 707-714. 2011.
GIASSETTI, M. I.; PONTES, E. O.; NIEMEYER, C.; SIQUEIRA, A. F. P.; FEDOZZI, F.; LIMA, M.C.O; MARQUES, V.; BERTAN, C.M.; MIGLINO, M.A.; ARRUDA, R. P.; PAPA, P.C.; BINELLI, M. Characterization of interferon-tau protein expression during the critical period for the pregnancy recognition in cattle. Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science, v. submit, p. 00-00, 2008.
NIEMEYER, C.; SIQUEIRA, A.F.P.; GIASSETTI, M.I.; PONTES, E.O.; FEDOZZI, F.; LIMA, M.C.O.; BERTAN, C.M.; ARRUDA, R.P.; MIGLINO, M.A.; BINELLI, M. Protein profile of uterine washings of cyclic and pregnant cows from days 14 to 18 post-estrus. Animal Reproduction, v. 4, p. 77-87, 2007.
Teaching
Explore Useful Resources That Have Enhanced Our Work.
Webinars
IETS webinarshttps://www.iets.org/Foundation/Webinars
SSR webinars http://ssr.org/webinars/page/2/ASRM webinars https://connect.asrm.org/srbt/resources/webinars?ssopc=1
The International IVF Initiative webinarshttps://ivfmeeting.com/collections/lectures
ASA webinarhttps://andrologysociety.org/video-library/
Courses
Here is the link for the Frontier of Reproduction (FIR) that occurs every year in Woods Hole, MA.
Online Tools
Gene structure and descriptions:
GeneCards: https://www.genecards.org
Ensembl: http://useast.ensembl.org/index.html
NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/
Functional-OMICS and animal model descriptions:
UniProt: https://www.uniprot.orgExpression (RNA and protein)
Human RNA: https://www.gtexportal.org/home/
Human protein: https://www.proteinatlas.org
MGI: https://www.informatics.jax.org/javawi2/servlet/WIFetch?page=expressionQFexpandedKO models:
JAX https://www.informatics.jax.org/home/strainPathways:
Gene ontology:Panther: https://www.pantherdb.org
String https://string-db.org
Meet The
EvoGenOMICs Team
Interested in joining our lab?
Contact Mariana Giassetti: mariana_giassetti@baylor.edu
Doctoral Students and Candidates
My name is Melissa Patton, and I am a Graduate student at Baylor University in the Biology PhD program and an active member of the Giassetti lab studying topics related at male fertility and developmental biology. My educational background stems off a Bachelors in Biological science from Arizona State University along with a background in healthcare being licensed as a vocational nurse since 2013. I am Army retired and a mother of 3 amazing children which has not only given me an organized and structured mindset but the patience to maneuver my way through trials and errors in research. I am excited to spend each day digging deep into topics related to embryology, evolutionary medicine, and reproductive biology.
My name is Melanie L. Salas, and I earned my undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Philosophy from Syracuse University. During my studies, I conducted research under Dr. Latha Ramalingam and Dr. Alaji Bah, investigating the effects of fish oil supplementation on paternal obesity and its connection to the Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP) in Fragile X Syndrome. Currently, as a Ph.D. student in Dr. Mariana Ianello Giassetti's lab at Baylor University, I am focused on cancer models and exploring an Evolutionary multiomics approach in mammals. My research delves into the molecular mechanisms of spermatogenesis across mammalian species, aiming to uncover insights into reproductive health and infertility..
My name is Qiyang, also known as Q. I’m an international student from Sichuan, China who is now pursuing a biology PhD degree at Baylor University. I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022 (Hook 'em🤘). I then joined a cancer lab at Baylor College of Medicine for my post-bachelor research, where we studied the relationship between circadian disruption and liver cancer. I was fascinated by the topic of development biology in my undergraduate and would like to develop more in related fields during my PhD study.
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am Wilkister Nabulindo, a veterinarian and animal reproductive biologist specializing in reproductive biotechnology, stem cell culture, and genome editing. I earned my Doctorate from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, where my research focused on the generation of genetically edited surrogate sires (goats), involving spermatogonial stem cell culture and intratesticular transplantation. My research interests include in vitro embryo production (IVF and ICSI), genome editing, stem cell culture, and genomics in reproductive biology.
As a postdoctoral fellow, my current research explores the molecular mechanisms regulating early-stage mammalian development, with a particular focus on male reproductive development and spermatogenesis. I integrate phylogenetic multi-omics approaches to investigate fertility and its association with developmental biology.
Beyond research, I am passionate about mentoring students in STEM and advancing science policy to bridge research and global impact.
Undergraduate Students
2024 - 2025
Ava Kwan - Junior
Julia McNeal - Senior
Melissa Ratcliffe - Senior
Om Patel - Senior
Paige Gosset - Senior
Peter Yao - Senior
Rhett Cox Rodabaugh - Senior
Honorary Members
We've been lucky to have Tica, Indy, and Duke as honorary members of our team since 2014.
We are hiring!
Join the EvoGenOMICS team as a Lab Manager in the Giassetti Lab at the Department of Biology. The role focuses on multi-omics integration, gene editing, and animal gametes & preimplantation embryos.
In the news:
"Dr. Mariana Giassetti is an assistant professor at Baylor and an expert in animal reproduction and biosciences. When it comes to the three dire wolf cubs, Giassetti argues that they may be like their ancient ancestors.
“The dire wolf that they have right now will not be a 100% match,” Giassett said. “That’s why it’s a functional de-extinction because we recreate the phenotypes. But they will have genes … that will create phenotypes that will resemble a dire wolf. Giassetti said this entire ordeal is closer to a “proof of concept” for Colossal Bioscience and that the company still has a long way to go in terms of their technology. But it’s a great place to start, she said.”