Email

jr13@bcm.edu

Positions

Associate Professor

HGSC:Faculty-General/Basic
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Associate Professor

Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine

Core Scientist

Wisconsin National Primate Research Center
Madison, United States

Faculty Senator

Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Faculty Member

Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics
Baylor College of Medicine

Faculty Member

Graduate Program in Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics
Baylor College of Medicine

Education

BA from Northwestern University

01/1978 - Evanston, Illinois United States

PhD from Yale University

01/1989 - New Haven, CT United States

Anthropology

Professional Interests

• Primate models of human disease, especially psychiatric disorders, comparative primate genomics and evolutionary genetics

Professional Statement

My research is focused on the genetics and genomics of nonhuman primates. These species are widely used as animal models of disease because they are so similar genetically and physiologically to humans. For studies of neurobiology and behavior, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases and other common health problems, nonhuman primates provide unique and valuable experimental models. As the analysis of genetic mechanisms has become central to so much of biomedical and basic biological research, the need for detailed information about the genomics of nonhuman primates becomes more important and useful.

My laboratory is working on various aspects of primate genomics, including both basic comparative analyses and targeted research using primate models of human disease. As a member of the Human Genome Sequencing Center, I plan and execute various studies of nonhuman primate genomes. Working with other HGSC faculty and staff, as well as people outside BCM, we have produced de novo whole genome assemblies for several primates, including baboons (Papio anubis), sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys), marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), gibbons (Nomascus leucogenys), mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae) and other species. These projects involve deep whole genome sequencing of one individual per species, and computational assembly of the sequence data to produce a reference genome sequence that will be a resource for all future genetic analyses of that species. These projects also include the sequencing of additional individuals to identify intra-species genetic variation and RNA sequencing to characterize gene expression. The result is high-quality genomic information that facilitates both disease-related research and analyses of genome evolution (Rogers and Gibbs, 2014; Warren et al. 2020; Thomas et al. 2018). We have also conducted an extensive survey of genomic variation in the most widely studied nonhuman primate, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). By sequencing the genomes or exomes of more than 2,000 rhesus macaques from various research colonies we have discovered hundreds of thousands of functionally significant genetic variants that can be used to examine the effects of specific genes on various disease-related phenotypes. Information regarding genetic variation, including changes in protein-coding sequences and putative regulatory sequences, in combination with other genomic data, makes all these primate species more useful for future biomedical research projects.

The second major line of research in my laboratory is the targeted analysis of particular nonhuman primate models of human genetic diseases. In collaboration with psychiatrists and neurobiologists, we have studied individual variation in behavior among macaques and baboons (Rogers, 2018; Fox et al. 2021) and explored the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. The multifaceted behavior of primates, including their capacity for complex social interactions, makes them outstanding subjects for behavioral and neurogenetic investigation (Oler et al., 2010; Rogers et al., 2013; Fawcett et al., 2014; Gunter et al., 2022). The primate models point us to genetic mechanisms that may influence susceptibility to psychiatric disorders in people (Rogers et al., 2013; Fox et al. 2021). We are also analyzing primate models of inherited susceptibility to cancer (Dray et al., 2018), retinal disorders and early onset progressive vision loss (Moshiri et al., 2019), endometriosis (Tapmeier et al. 2021) and others.

While most of our effort is focused on the projects above, I also maintain an active interest in genetic analyses of wild primate populations. I am leading a large international consortium of researchers who are investigating genetic differentiation among wild populations of six species of baboons (genus Papio). We found that these species, although genetically and phenotypically quite distinct, have an evolutionary history that includes multiple episodes of inter-species admixture and gene flow (Rogers et al., 2019). This makes the living baboons an excellent model for human genome evolution and our ancient admixture with Neanderthals and Denisovans. In other projects, we and our colleagues are studying wild kinda baboons (Papio kindae) in Zambia (Jolly et al., 2011) and are developing whole genome sequence data for hundreds of primate species from all across the globe.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Gunter C, Harris RA, Kovacs-Balint Z, Raveendran M, Michopoulos V, Bachevalier J, Raper J, Sanchez MM, Rogers J "Heritability of social behavioral phenotypes and preliminary associations with autism spectrum disorder risk genes in rhesus macaques: A whole exome sequencing study." Autism Res.. 2022;15:447-463. Pubmed PMID: 35092647
• Fox AS, Harris RA, Rosso LD, Raveendran M, Kamboj S, Kinnally EL, Capitanio JP, Rogers J "Infant inhibited temperament in primates predicts adult behavior, is heritable, and is associated with anxiety-relevant genetic variation.." Mol Psychiatry. 2021; Pubmed PMID: 34035480
• Tapmeier TT, Rahmioglu N, Lin J, De Leo B, Obendorf M, Raveendran M, (…), Rogers J, Zondervan KT "Neuropeptide S receptor 1 is a nonhormonal treatment target in endometriosis.." Sci Transl Med.. 2021;13:eabd6469.
• Warren WC, Harris RA, Haukness M, Fiddes IT, Murali SC, (…), Rogers J, Eichler EE "Sequence diversity analyses of an improved rhesus macaque genome enhance its biomedical utility." Science. 2020;370:eabc6617.