• 

  Margaret McFall-Ngai

  Faculty Associate, California Institute of Technology
  mmcfallngai@carnegiescience.edu

Research Publications

• Otjacques E, Jatico B, Marques TA, Xavier JC, Ruby E, McFall-Ngai M, Rosa R (2025) Climate-Driven Warming Disrupts the Symbiosis of Bobtail Squid Euprymna scolopes and the Luminous Bacterium Vibrio fischeri. Global change biology 31((5)):e70243 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Ling F, Essock-Burns T, McFall-Ngai M, Katija K, Nawroth JC, Kanso E (2025) Flow Physics Guides Morphology of Ciliated Organs. Nature physics 20((10)):1679-1686 PMC7472586 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Kajihara KT, Yuan M, Amend AS, Cetraro N, Darcy JL, Fraiola KMS, Frank K, McFall-Ngai M, Medeiros MCI, Nakayama KK, Nelson CE, Rollins RL, Sparagon WJ, Swift SOI, Téfit MA, Yew JY, Yogi D, Hynson NA (2025) Diversity, connectivity and negative interactions define robust microbiome networks across land, stream, and sea. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology : PMC8528840 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Hargadon AC, Viliunas JW, Koehler S, Thies AB, Chen GY, Ladinsky MS, Kuwabara J, Avila-Magana V, Ruby EG, Tresguerres M, McFall-Ngai MJ (2024) An acidic microenvironment produced by the V-type ATPase of Euprymna scolopes promotes specificity during Vibrio fischeri recruitment. Communications biology 7((1)):1642 PMC10771462 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Otjacques E, Paula JR, Ruby EG, Xavier JC, McFall-Ngai MJ, Rosa R, Schunter C (2024) Developmental and transcriptomic responses of Hawaiian bobtail squid early stages to ocean warming and acidification. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology : PMC106849 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Chen YY, Evavold CL, Mann M, Davenport ER, McFall-Ngai M, Bienko M, Ueda HR, Tian L, Tjahjono N, Anikeeva P, Liu JG, Deans TL, Shen X (2024) What tool or method do you wish existed? Cell 187((17)):4433-4438 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Gestal MC, Oates AE, Akob DM, Criss AK, , (2024) Perspectives on the future of host-microbe biology from the Council on Microbial Sciences of the American Society for Microbiology. mSphere 9((7)):e0025624 PMC8060789 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Bosch TCG, Wigley M, Colomina B, Bohannan B, Meggers F, Amato KR, Azad MB, Blaser MJ, Brown K, Dominguez-Bello MG, Ehrlich SD, Elinav E, Finlay BB, Geddie K, Geva-Zatorsky N, Giles-Vernick T, Gros P, Guillemin K, Haraoui LP, Johnson E, Keck F, Lorimer J, McFall-Ngai MJ, Nichter M, Pettersson S, Poinar H, Rees T, Tropini C, Undurraga EA, Zhao L, Melby MK (2024) The potential importance of the built-environment microbiome and its impact on human health. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 121((20)):e2313971121 PMC7474686 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Yang L, Lawhorn S, Bongrand C, Kosmopoulos JC, Kuwabara J, VanNieuwenhze M, Mandel MJ, McFall-Ngai M, Ruby E (2024) Bacterial growth dynamics in a rhythmic symbiosis. Molecular biology of the cell 35((6)):ar79 PMC6794480 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• McFall-Ngai M (2024) Symbiosis takes a front and center role in biology. PLoS biology 22((4)):e3002571 PMC6428750 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Bosch TCG, Blaser MJ, Ruby E, McFall-Ngai M (2024) A new lexicon in the age of microbiome research. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences 379((1901)):20230060 PMC8724541 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Ling F, Essock-Burns T, McFall-Ngai M, Katija K, Nawroth JC, Kanso E (2024) Flow Physics Explains Morphological Diversity of Ciliated Organs. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology : PMC10760039 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Tropini C, Finlay BB, Nichter M, Melby MK, Metcalf JL, Dominguez-Bello MG, Zhao L, McFall-Ngai MJ, Geva-Zatorsky N, Amato KR, Undurraga EA, Poinar HN, Gilbert JA (2023) Time to rethink academic publishing: the peer reviewer crisis. mBio 14((6)):e0109123 PMC8765409 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Mannochio-Russo H, Swift SOI, Nakayama KK, Wall CB, Gentry EC, Panitchpakdi M, Caraballo-Rodriguez AM, Aron AT, Petras D, Dorrestein K, Dorrestein TK, Williams TM, Nalley EM, Altman-Kurosaki NT, Martinelli M, Kuwabara JY, Darcy JL, Bolzani VS, Wegley Kelly L, Mora C, Yew JY, Amend AS, McFall-Ngai M, Hynson NA, Dorrestein PC, Nelson CE (2023) Microbiomes and metabolomes of dominant coral reef primary producers illustrate a potential role for immunolipids in marine symbioses. Communications biology 6((1)):896 PMC5096306 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Rouressol L, Briseno J, Vijayan N, Chen GY, Ritschard EA, Sanchez G, Nyholm SV, McFall-Ngai MJ, Simakov O (2023) Emergence of novel genomic regulatory regions associated with light-organ development in the bobtail squid. iScience 26((7)):107091 PMC6324079 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Essock-Burns T, Lawhorn S, Wu L, McClosky S, Moriano-Gutierrez S, Ruby EG, McFall-Ngai MJ (2023) Maturation state of colonization sites promotes symbiotic resiliency in the Euprymna scolopes-Vibrio fischeri partnership. Microbiome 11((1)):68 PMC9185944 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Yue X, Zhang S, Wang H, Yu J, Peng Q, McFall-Ngai M, Liu B (2022) The mud-dwelling clam secretes endogenously synthesized erythromycin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 119((49)):e2214150119 PMC4409153 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Gundlach KA, Nawroth J, Kanso E, Nasrin F, Ruby EG, McFall-Ngai M (2022) Ciliated epithelia are key elements in the recruitment of bacterial partners in the squid-vibrio symbiosis. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology 10:974213 PMC2978254 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Olaso CM, Viliunas J, McFall-Ngai M (2022) A peptidoglycan-recognition protein orchestrates the first steps of symbiont recruitment in the squid-vibrio symbiosis. Symbiosis (Philadelphia, Pa.) 87((1)):31-43 PMC17651 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Amend AS, Swift SOI, Darcy JL, Belcaid M, Nelson CE, Buchanan J, Cetraro N, Fraiola KMS, Frank K, Kajihara K, McDermot TG, McFall-Ngai M, Medeiros M, Mora C, Nakayama KK, Nguyen NH, Rollins RL, Sadowski P, Sparagon W, Téfit MA, Yew JY, Yogi D, Hynson NA (2022) A ridge-to-reef ecosystem microbial census reveals environmental reservoirs for animal and plant microbiomes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 119((33)):e2204146119 PMC6235622 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Truong TV, Holland DB, Madaan S, Andreev A, Keomanee-Dizon K, Troll JV, Koo DES, McFall-Ngai MJ, Fraser SE (2022) Publisher Correction: Author Correction: High-contrast, synchronous volumetric imaging with selective volume illumination microscopy. Communications biology 5((1)):533 PMC9142577 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Truong TV, Holland DB, Madaan S, Andreev A, Keomanee-Dizon K, Troll JV, Koo DES, McFall-Ngai MJ, Fraser SE (2022) Author Correction: High-contrast, synchronous volumetric imaging with selective volume illumination microscopy. Communications biology 5((1)):363 PMC9001636 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Lynch JB, James N, McFall-Ngai M, Ruby EG, Shin S, Takagi D (2022) Transitioning to confined spaces impacts bacterial swimming and escape response. Biophysical journal 121((13)):2653-2662 PMC4577176 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Nyholm SV, McFall-Ngai MJ (2022) Publisher Correction: A lasting symbiosis: how the Hawaiian bobtail squid finds and keeps its bioluminescent bacterial partner. Nature reviews. Microbiology 20((5)):315 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Bongrand C, Koch E, Mende D, Romano A, Lawhorn S, McFall-Ngai M, DeLong EF, Ruby EG (2022) Evidence of Genomic Diversification in a Natural Symbiotic Population Within Its Host. Frontiers in microbiology 13:854355 PMC3992678 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• McFall-Ngai M (2022) Building a career during a revolution in biology. Nature microbiology 7((3)):347-348 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• McFall-Ngai M, Ruby E (2021) Getting the Message Out: the Many Modes of Host-Symbiont Communication during Early-Stage Establishment of the Squid-Vibrio Partnership. mSystems 6((5)):e0086721 PMC8547416 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Essock-Burns T, Bennett BD, Arencibia D, Moriano-Gutierrez S, Medeiros M, McFall-Ngai MJ, Ruby EG (2021) Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Regulation Induces Morphological Change in a Key Host Tissue during the Euprymna scolopes-Vibrio fischeri Symbiosis. mBio 12((5)):e0240221 PMC8546586 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• McFall-Ngai M (2021) Keeping the clock running: The microbiome as a pivotal timekeeper. Cell metabolism 33((8)):1514-1515 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Nyholm SV, McFall-Ngai MJ (2021) A lasting symbiosis: how the Hawaiian bobtail squid finds and keeps its bioluminescent bacterial partner. Nature reviews. Microbiology 19((10)):666-679 PMC8440403 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Moriano-Gutierrez S, Ruby EG, McFall-Ngai MJ (2021) MicroRNA-Mediated Regulation of Initial Host Responses in a Symbiotic Organ. mSystems 6((3)): PMC8125070 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Bosch TCG, McFall-Ngai M (2021) Animal development in the microbial world: Re-thinking the conceptual framework. Current topics in developmental biology 141:399-427 PMC8214508 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• McFall-Ngai M, Bosch TCG (2021) Animal development in the microbial world: The power of experimental model systems. Current topics in developmental biology 141:371-397 PMC8211120 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Finlay BB, Amato KR, Azad M, Blaser MJ, Bosch TCG, Chu H, Dominguez-Bello MG, Ehrlich SD, Elinav E, Geva-Zatorsky N, Gros P, Guillemin K, Keck F, Korem T, McFall-Ngai MJ, Melby MK, Nichter M, Pettersson S, Poinar H, Rees T, Tropini C, Zhao L, Giles-Vernick T (2021) The hygiene hypothesis, the COVID pandemic, and consequences for the human microbiome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 118((6)): PMC8017729 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• Alivisatos AP, Blaser MJ, Brodie EL, Chun M, Dangl JL, Donohue TJ, Dorrestein PC, Gilbert JA, Green JL, Jansson JK, Knight R, Maxon ME, McFall-Ngai MJ, Miller JF, Pollard KS, Ruby EG, Taha SA, (2015) MICROBIOME. A unified initiative to harness Earth's microbiomes. Science (New York, N.Y.) 350((6260)):507-8 · Pubmed · DOI
  close

• (0) :
  close