Rsum of M`hamed Grati; Eng., Ph.D. 4900 Battery Lane #304 * Bethesda, MD20814 * 240-751-2085 * mg1aec60e@westpost.

n et Summary of Qualifications - Expert in theoretical and practical aspects of molecular genetics and molecula r and cell biology. - Strong observation, critical thinking, and problem solving skills resulting fr om superior attention to details. - Successfully managed and conducted challenging scientific projects both indepe ndently and within a team and published articles in high-impact peer-reviewed jo urnals (Nat. Genet., Cell, J. Cell Sci., J. Neurosci. and PNAS). - Strong multi-tasking abilities: managed multiple tasks and projects to ensure timely completion of research aims. - Supervisory skills gained leading and mentoring the work of students and junio r post-docs. - Served as judge in the NIH graduate student research festival, and a member of organizing committee for NIDCD retreat. - Excellent organizational, presentation, and written, oral, and interpersonal c ommunication skills. Education 2001 PhD Human Molecular Genetics University Denis Diderot - Paris VII & Pasteur Institute, France. 1997 MS Human Molecular Genetics University Denis Diderot - Paris VII & Pasteur Institute, France. 1996 Engineering Biotechnology National Engineer School of Sfax (ENIS), Tun isia. 1989 Baccalaureate Math & Sciences Lyce Habib Thameur, Sfax, Tunisia. Research Experience 2008-Present Research Fellow - Laboratory of Cell Structure & Dynamics, NIDCD, NIH, U.S.A. -Studying the physiology and the structure of the inner ear hair cell mechanosen sory stereocilia using engineered mouse models and fluorescence and electron mic roscopy- - Web-link: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/news/releases/11/062811.htm 2007-2008 Postdoctoral Fellow - INSERM unit U587, A-Trousseau Children Hospital and Pasteur Institute, France. -Performed a search for genetic interactions between Usher syndrome-causing gene s using extensive genomic sequencing of all USH genes in a large cohort of Usher type I, II and III patients2006 Postdoctoral Fellow - Genetics of Deafness, The Wellcome Trust Sanger In stitute, Cambridge, U.K. -Mouse Genetics: Used histology, scanning electron microscopy and auditory brain -stem recordings for the phenotypic characterization of mouse models for hearing -loss and identified the causative gene by exome sequencing2001-2006 Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow - Laboratory of Neurochemistry, NIDCD, NIH, U.S.A. -Studied the molecular determinants for polarized targeting and compartmentaliza tion of plasma membrane proteins in hair cells of the mammalian inner ear using cell and molecular biology techniques and confocal microscopy1997-2001 Doctoral Thesis Research, Unit de Gntique des Dficits Sensoriels, Pa steur Institute, France. -Identified by molecular cloning OTOF as the gene responsible for the human DFNB 9 form of deafness and characterized the function of the encoded protein1996-1997 MS Research, Unit de Gntique des Dficits Sensoriels, Pasteur Institu te, France -Isolated gene transcripts preferentially expressed in the mouse cochlea by subt ractive cDNA library-

1995-1996 Engineering Research, Unit de Gntique des Dficits Sensoriels, Pasteur Institute, France -Localized deafness-causing genes on human chromosomesBiology Skills Molecular biology: Gene localization and identification. Human and mouse genomic DNA isolation. Tissue mRNA isolation. RT-PCR; qPCR. cDNA cloning and protein ta gging. Genomic microsatellite PCR and genotyping. Sequencing of PCR products, pl asmidic and BAC DNA. Recombineering vector construction for mouse KO generation. Cloning of tagged-cDNAs into adenoviral shuttle vectors. Cell Biology: Cell culture (bacteria, yeast, mammalian). Cell transfection. Brai n slice and inner ear explant culture. Adenoviral particles generation, purifica tion and concentration. Yeast two-hybrid screening. Biochemistry: Cell line and tissue protein extraction. Protein expression in bac teria and purification. IP, protein separation and Western blotting. Rabbit poly clonal antibody production and immuno-affinity purification. ELISA. Microscopy: Specimen preparation for light, fluorescent and scanning electron mi croscopy, and imaging. Mutant mouse colony management: Mouse transgenesis, tail clipping, genotyping, p henotyping, breeding schemes. Epidemiology: Familial genealogy for disease tracing and gene localization. Communication Skills - Scientific meeting presentations: posters and podium. - Reviewed multiple papers for European J. of Med. Genet., Genetic Testing and M olecular Biomarkers J., Mol. Vision. - Organized multiple weekly journal club presentations. - Interacted with a variety of staff, service providers, vendors, and sales repr esentatives. - Responsible for lab safety. Team Skills Managed, mentored and supervised 4 technicians and over 10 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Participated in the interviewing process of new lab personnel. Promoted social interactions between lab members. Managerial Skills Coordinated and tracked the progress of multiple complex research collaborations . Responsible for ordering reagents and purchasing of equipments: microscopes, cen trifuges, thermocyclers, etc. Negotiated with vendors and solicited discounts to ensure cost savings. Responsible for lab maintenance: microscopes, tissue culture room, pipettes, ult ra-centrifuges, etc. Training NCBI course: Identification and Correlation of Disease Genes to Phenotypes (2005 ) NCBI course: Unmasking Genes from the Human Genome (2005) Carl Zeiss sponsored NIH Symposium and Workshops: Advanced Imaging Microscopy (2 004) Med Campus Courses: Management of Innovation in Biotechnology Business. Portugal (1994) Grants 2005 Winner of NIH Fellows FARE Award for Research Excellence, U.S.A. 2001-2006 National Institutes of Health Fellowship, U.S.A. 1998-1999 Association Franaise Contre les Myopathies (AFM) Fellowship, France. 1996-2001 Tunisian Government Fellowship, Tunisia.

Publications 1- Merritt RC, Manor U, Salles FT, Grati M, Dose AC, Unrath WC, Yengo CM, Kachar B. Myosin 3b uses an actin-binding motif in its espin-1 cargo to reach the tips of actin protrusions. (Submitted to Curr. Biol.). 2- Hilton J, Lewis M, Grati M, Ingham N, Pearson S, Pickard D, Lascowski R, Adam s D, Steel KP. Whole exome sequencing identifies a missense mutation in Isl1 res ulting in low penetrance otitis media in dearisch mice. (Accepted in Genome Biol ogy). 3- Grati M, Kachar B. Localization of myosin VIIa and sans at the stereocilia up per tip-link density implicates these Usher syndrome proteins in mechanotransduc tion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jul 12;108(28):11476-81. 4- [Grati M, Bonnet C], Marlin S, Levilliers J, Hardelin JP, Parodi M, Niasme-Gr are M, Zelenika D, Dlpine D, Feldmann D, Jonard L, El-Amraoui A, Weil D, Delobel B, Vincent C, Dollfus H, Eliot MM, David A, Calais C, Vigneron J, Montaut B, Bo nneau D, Dubin J, Thauvin C, Duvillard A, Francannet C, Mom T, Lacombe D, Duriez F, Drouin-Garraud V, Thuillier-Obstoy MF, Sigaudy S, Frances AM, Collignon P, C halle G, Couderc R, Lathrop M, Sahel JA, Weissenbach J, Petit C, Denoyelle F. Co mplete exon sequencing of Usher syndrome genes greatly improves molecular diagno sis. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2011 May 11;6(1):21. 5- Manor U, Disanza A, Grati M, De Andrade L, Lin H, Di Fiore PP, Scita G, Kacha r B. Regulation of stereocilia length by myosin XVa and whirlin depends on the a ctin regulatory protein eps8. Curr Biol, 2011 Jan 25;21(2):167-72. 6- Quintero OA, Moore JE, Unrath WC, Manor U, Salles FT, Grati M, Kachar B, Yeng o CM. Intermolecular Autophosphorylation Regulates Myosin IIIa Activity and Loca lization in Parallel Actin Bundles. J Biol Chem. 2010 Nov 12;285(46):35770-82. 7- Jonard L, Feldmann D, Parsy C, Freitag S, Sinico M, Koval C, Grati M, Couderc R, Denoyelle F, Bodemer C, Marlin S, Hadj-Rabia S. A familial case of Keratitis -Ichthyosis-Deafness (KID) syndrome with the GJB2 mutation G45E. Eur J Med Genet . 2008 Jan-Feb;51(1):35-43. 8- Roux I, Safieddine S, Nouvian R, Grati M, Simmler M-C, Bahloul A, Perfettini I, Le Gall M, Rostaing P, Hamard G, Triller A, Avan P, Moser T, Petit C. Otoferl in, defective in DFNB9 deafness, is essential for the Ca2+-triggered synaptic ex ocytosis at the auditory hair cell ribbon synapse. Cell. 2006 Oct;127(2):277-89. 9- Grati M, Aggarwal N, Strehler EE, Wenthold RJ. Molecular determinants for dif ferential membrane trafficking of PMCA1 and PMCA2 in mammalian hair cells. J Cel l Sci. 2006 July;119(14):2995-3007. 10- Grati M, Schneider M, Strehler EE, Wenthold RJ, Kachar B. Rapid turnover of stereocilia membrane proteins: evidence from the trafficking and mobility of pla sma membrane Ca2+-ATPase 2. J Neurosci. 2006 Jun;26(23):6386-95. 11- Masmoudi S, Antonarakis SE, Schwede T, Ghorbel AM, Grati M, Pappasavas MP, D rira M, Elgaied-Boulila A, Wattenhofer M, Rossier C, Scott HS, Ayadi H, Guipponi M. Novel missense mutations of TMPRSS3 in two consanguineous Tunisian families with non-syndromic autosomal recessive deafness. Hum Mutat. 2001 Aug;18(2):101-8 . 12- [Grati M, Yasunaga S], Chardenoux S, Smith TN, Friedman TB, Lalwani AK, Wilc ox ER, Petit C. OTOF encodes multiple long and short isoforms: genetic evidence that the long ones underlie recessive deafness DFNB9. Am J Hum Genet. 2000 Sep;6 7(3):591-600. 13- Yasunaga S, Grati M, Petit C. DFNB9 and DFNB12. Adv Otorhinolaryngol. 2000; 56:164-7. Review. 14- Masmoudi S, Charfedine I, Hmani M, Grati M, Ghorbel AM, Elgaied-Boulila A, D rira M, Hardelin JP, Ayadi H. Pendred syndrome: phenotypic variability in two fa milies carrying the same PDS missense mutation. Am J Med Genet. 2000 Jan 3;90(1) :38-44. 15- [Grati M, Yasunaga S], Cohen-Salmon M, El-Amraoui A, Mustapha M, Salem N, El -Zir E, Loiselet J, Petit C. A mutation in OTOF, encoding otoferlin, a FER-1-lik e protein, causes DFNB9, a nonsyndromic form of deafness. Nat Genet. 1999 Apr;21 (4):363-9. 16- Denoyelle F, Weil D, Maw MA, Wilcox SA, Lench NJ, Allen-Powell DR, Osborn AH

, Dahl HH, Middleton A, Houseman MJ, Dode C, Marlin S, Boulila-ElGaied A, Grati M, Ayadi H, BenArab S, Bitoun P, Lina-Granade G, Godet J, Mustapha M, Loiselet J , El-Zir E, Aubois A, Joannard A, Petit C, et al. Prelingual deafness: high prev alence of a 30delG mutation in the connexin 26 gene. Hum Mol Genet. 1997 Nov;6(1 2):2173-7. [,]Co-authors. Patent Multiple Human and Mouse Otoferlin Isoforms. Yasunaga S, Grati M, Cohen-Salmon M , El-Amraoui A, Petit C, Weil, D. Publication Number: WO/2001/070972; Internatio nal Application# PCT/IB2001/000578; Publication Date: 27.09.2001. Computer Skills Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook. Graphing and illustration Photoshop, ImageJ DNASTAR EditSeq, Seqman, SeqBuilder, Protean, MegAlign. Languages Multi-lingual: Fluent in English, French and Arabic.