College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Degrees

PhD, Muscle Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1981
MS, Muscle Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1976
BS, Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1974

Professional Positions

Department Chairperson, 2005-2009

Acting Department Chairperson, 2004-2005

Visiting Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, 1998

Research Associate, University of Minnesota at Twin Cities, 1984-88

Postdoctoral Fellow, Boston Biomedical Research Institute, 1981-84

Research Interests

Please note: Dr. Strasburg is no longer accepting new graduate students, postdoctoral associates, or visiting scholars. 

My laboratory research focuses on molecular mechanisms responsible for muscle growth, development, and their relationship to inferior muscle meat quality. Our primary goal is to generate information that can be used by breeders enhance efficient production of high quality poultry meat.  There is some evidence that intensive breeding of food animals for rapid growth rate and high feed conversion over the past several decades has led to inadvertent selection for traits which have led to meat quality problems, such as pale, soft, exudative (PSE) meat. We have developed a turkey skeletal muscle oligonucleotide microarray to investigate differences in gene expression from normal and PSE turkey meat samples. More recently, in a complementary approach, we have used RNA deep sequencing to analyze the transcriptional profiles of turkey muscle samples to determine the molecular basis for the differences in meat quality.

Instructional Activities

FSC 455  Food and Nutrition Laboratory
FSC 803  Advanced Food Chemistry

Selected Publications

Malila, Y, Thanatsang, K, Arayamethakorn, S, Uengwetwanit, T, Srimarut, Y, Petracci, M, Strasburg, GM, Rungrassamee, W, Visessanguan, W. 2019. Absolute expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF1A) transcript and the associated genes in chicken skeletal muscle with white striping and wooden breast myopathies. PLoS One 14(8):e0220904.

Lee, HC, Singh, P, Strasburg, GM, Marks, BP, Jin, HW, Kang, I. 2019. Comparison of raw meat quality and protein-gel properties of turkey breast fillets processed by traditional or cold-batter mincing technology. Poultry Science 98:2299-2304.

Barnes, NE, Mendoza, KM, Strasburg, GM, Velleman, SG, Reed, KM. 2019. Thermal challenge alters the transcriptional profile of the breast muscle in turkey poults. Poultry Science 98:74-91.

Clark, DL, Strasburg, GM, Reed, KM, Velleman, SG. 2017. Influence of temperature and growth selection on turkey pectoralis major muscle satellite cell adipogenic gene expression and lipid accumulation. Poultry Science 96:1015-1027

Reed, KM, Mendoza, KM, Strasburg, GM, Velleman, SG. 2017. Response of turkey muscle satellite cells to thermal challenge. II. Transcriptome effects in differentiating cells. Frontiers in Avian Physiology 8:948. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00948

Reed, KM, Mendoza, KM, Abrahante, JE, Barnes, NE, Velleman, SG, Strasburg, GM. 2017. Response of turkey muscle satellite cells to thermal challenge. I. Transcriptome effects in proliferating cells. BMC Genomics 18(1):352. doi: 10.1186/s12864-017-3740-4

Mmongoyo, JA, Wu, F, Linz, JE, Nair, MG, Mugula, JK, Tempelman, RJ, Strasburg, GM. 2017. Aflatoxin levels in sunflower seeds and cakes collected from micro- and small-scale sunflower oil processors in Tanzania. PLoS One. 12(4):e0175801. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175801

Mmongoyo, JA, Nair, MG, Linz, JE, Wu, F, Mugula, JK, Dissanayake, AA, Zhang, C, Day, DM, Wee, JM, and Strasburg, GM. 2017. Bioactive compounds in Diospyros mafiensis roots inhibit growth, sporulation and aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, World Mycotoxin Journal 10, 237-248

Szczygiel, EJ, Harte, JB, Strasburg, GM, and Cho, S. 2017. Consumer acceptance and aroma characterization of navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) powders prepared by extrusion and conventional processing methods. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 97, 4142-4150

Malone-Dickmann, R., Strasburg, GM, Romsos, D, Lai, G, Wilson, L, & Huang, H. 2016. Particle size, surface area and amorphous content as predictors of solubility and bioavailability for five commercial sources of ferric orthophosphate in ready-to-eat cereal. Nutrients, 8(3), 129-143

Clark, D L, Coy, C S, Strasburg, GM, Reed, KM, & Velleman, SG. 2016. Temperature effect on proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells from turkeys with different growth rates. Poultry Science, 95:934-947

Malila, Y, Srimarut, Y, U-chupaj, J, Strasburg, G, & Visessanguan, W. 2015. Monitoring of Chicken RNA Integrity as a Function of Prolonged Postmortem Duration. Asian Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences. doi:10.5713/ajas.15.0167

Malila, Y, Carr, KM, Ernst, CW, Velleman, SG, Reed, SG, & Strasburg, GM. 2014. Deep transcriptome sequencing reveals differences in global gene expression between normal and pale, soft, and exudative turkey meat. Journal of Animal Science, 92, 1250-1260

Medellin-Lopez, M., Sansawat, T, Strasburg, GM, Marks, BP, & Kang, I. 2014. Coldbatter mincing of hot-boned and crust-freezing air-chilled turkey breast improved meat turnover time and product quality. Poultry Science, 93(3), 711-718. doi:10.3382/ps.2013-03531

Malila, Y., Tempelman RJ, Sporer KRB, Ernst CW, Velleman SG, Reed KM, and Strasburg GM. 2013.  Differential gene expression between normal and pale, soft and exudative turkey meat.  Poultry Science.  92:1621-1633

Shin J, McFarland DC, Strasburg GM, Velleman SG.  2013.  The function of death-associated protein 1 in proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of chicken satellite cells.  Muscle and Nerve 48(5):777-90

Velleman SG, Sporer KR, Ernst CW, Reed KM, Strasburg GM.  2012.  Versican, matrix Gla protein, and death-associated protein expression affect muscle satellite cell proliferation and differentiation.  Poultry Science 91:1964-1973

Sporer KR, Zhou HR, Linz JE, Booren AM, Strasburg GM.  2012.  Differential expression of calcium-regulating genes in heat-stressed turkey breast muscle is associated with meat quality. Poultry Science 91:1418-1424

Nierobisz LS, Sporer KR, Strasburg GM, Reed KM, Velleman SG, Ashwell CM, Felts JV, Mozdziak PE. 2012.  Differential expression of genes characterizing myofibre phenotype.  Animal Genetics 43:298-308

Sporer KR, Tempelman RJ, Ernst CW, Reed KM, Velleman SG, Strasburg GM.  2011.  Transcriptional profiling identifies differentially expressed genes in developing turkey skeletal muscle.  BMC Genomics  12:143.  doi 10.1186/1471-2164-12-143

Sporer KR, Chiang W, Tempelman RJ, Ernst CW, Reed KM, Velleman SG, Strasburg GM. 2011.  Characterization of a 6K oligonucleotide turkey skeletal muscle microarray.  Animal Genetics 42:75-82