Michelle Elizabeth Kossack

Assistant Professor

Professional Summary

Dr. Kossack received her PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the Unviersity of California Davis in 2019. Her dissertation focused on the the molecular mechanisms of sex determination in zebrafish. As a postdoc at Brown University she continued to work with zebrafish, exploring the cardiovascular effects of dioxin exposure. In 2025 Dr. Kossack opened her lab at UC where she used zebrafish to understand the molecular mechanisms behind female infertility and reproductive development. 

Publications

Peer Reviewed Publications

Kossack, M E; Bowie, K; Tian, L; Plavicki, J S (2024. ) Building methodological consensus to ensure rigor and reproducibility in zebrafish fertility research.Aquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), , 272 ,106930 More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; Tian, Lucy; Bowie, Kealyn; Plavicki, Jessica S (2023. ) Defining the cellular complexity of the zebrafish bipotential gonad.Biology of reproduction, , 109 (5 ) ,586-600 More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; Tian, Lucy; Bowie, Kealyn; Plavicki, Jessica S (2023. ) Defining the cellular complexity of the zebrafish bipotential gonad.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, , More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; Manz, Katherine E; Martin, Nathan R; Pennell, Kurt D; Plavicki, Jessica (2023. ) Environmentally relevant uptake, elimination, and metabolic changes following early embryonic exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in zebrafish.Chemosphere, , 310 ,136723 More Information

Martin, Nathan R; Patel, Ratna; Kossack, Michelle E; Tian, Lucy; Camarillo, Manuel A; Cintrón-Rivera, Layra G; Gawdzik, Joseph C; Yue, Monica S; Nwagugo, Favour O; Elemans, Loes M H; Plavicki, Jessica S (2022. ) Proper modulation of AHR signaling is necessary for establishing neural connectivity and oligodendrocyte precursor cell development in the embryonic zebrafish brain.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience, , 15 ,1032302 More Information

Liu, Yulong; Kossack, Michelle E; McFaul, Matthew E; Christensen, Lana N; Siebert, Stefan; Wyatt, Sydney R; Kamei, Caramai N; Horst, Samuel; Arroyo, Nayeli; Drummond, Iain A; Juliano, Celina E; Draper, Bruce W (2022. ) Single-cell transcriptome reveals insights into the development and function of the zebrafish ovary.eLife, , 11 , More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; Draper, Bruce W (2019. ) Genetic regulation of sex determination and maintenance in zebrafish (Danio rerio).Current topics in developmental biology, , 134 ,119-149 More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; High, Samantha K; Hopton, Rachel E; Yan, Yi-Lin; Postlethwait, John H; Draper, Bruce W (2019. ) Female Sex Development and Reproductive Duct Formation Depend on Wnt4a in Zebrafish.Genetics, , 211 (1 ) ,219-233 More Information

Kossack, M E; Bowie, K; Tian, L; Plavicki, J S (2024. ) Building methodological consensus to ensure rigor and reproducibility in zebrafish fertility research.Aquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), , 272 ,106930 More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; Tian, Lucy; Bowie, Kealyn; Plavicki, Jessica S (2023. ) Defining the cellular complexity of the zebrafish bipotential gonad.Biology of reproduction, , 109 (5 ) ,586-600 More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; Tian, Lucy; Bowie, Kealyn; Plavicki, Jessica S (2023. ) Defining the cellular complexity of the zebrafish bipotential gonad.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, , More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; Manz, Katherine E; Martin, Nathan R; Pennell, Kurt D; Plavicki, Jessica (2023. ) Environmentally relevant uptake, elimination, and metabolic changes following early embryonic exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in zebrafish.Chemosphere, , 310 ,136723 More Information

Martin, Nathan R; Patel, Ratna; Kossack, Michelle E; Tian, Lucy; Camarillo, Manuel A; Cintrón-Rivera, Layra G; Gawdzik, Joseph C; Yue, Monica S; Nwagugo, Favour O; Elemans, Loes M H; Plavicki, Jessica S (2022. ) Proper modulation of AHR signaling is necessary for establishing neural connectivity and oligodendrocyte precursor cell development in the embryonic zebrafish brain.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience, , 15 ,1032302 More Information

Liu, Yulong; Kossack, Michelle E; McFaul, Matthew E; Christensen, Lana N; Siebert, Stefan; Wyatt, Sydney R; Kamei, Caramai N; Horst, Samuel; Arroyo, Nayeli; Drummond, Iain A; Juliano, Celina E; Draper, Bruce W (2022. ) Single-cell transcriptome reveals insights into the development and function of the zebrafish ovary.eLife, , 11 , More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; Draper, Bruce W (2019. ) Genetic regulation of sex determination and maintenance in zebrafish (Danio rerio).Current topics in developmental biology, , 134 ,119-149 More Information

Kossack, Michelle E; High, Samantha K; Hopton, Rachel E; Yan, Yi-Lin; Postlethwait, John H; Draper, Bruce W (2019. ) Female Sex Development and Reproductive Duct Formation Depend on Wnt4a in Zebrafish.Genetics, , 211 (1 ) ,219-233 More Information