Associate Professor
Reproductive biology and Cryobiology
- DVM, Ankara University MS, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- PhD, Purdue University-West Lafayette
- Post-doctoral fellow, Indiana
University School of Medicine
Research emphasis: Dr. Agca's research interests are in the development of more efficient methods for cryopreservation of mammalian germplasm (i.e gametes, embryos, ovarian tissue) from scientifically and economically valuable (e.g. transgenics, knockouts) animal models for genome resource banking purposes. He is also interested in the development of assisted reproductive technologies in order to utilize such cryopreserved biomaterials more effectively.
Selected publications:
Keskintepe L, Sher G, Adamowicz M, Machnicka A, Tortoriello D, Bayrak A, Agca Y. (2009). Vitrification of human embryos subjected to blastomere biopsy for pre-implantation genetic screening produces higher survival and pregnancy rates than traditional freezing. J Assisted Reprod. and Genetics (Epub ahead of print).
Uguz C, Varisli O, Agca C, Agca Y (2009). Effects of nonylphenol on rat sperm motility, mitochondrial membrane potential, acrosomal and chromatin integrity Reprod. Toxicology 28:542-549.
Varisli O, Uguz C, Agca C, Agca Y (2009). Effect of chilling on rat sperm motility and acrosomal integrity in the presence of various extenders. J. Lab. Anim. Sci. 48:499-505.
Agca C, Lucy M, Agca Y (2009). Gene expression profile of rat ovarian tissue following xeno transplantation into immune-deficient mice. Reproduction 137:957-967.
Varisli O, Uguz C, Agca C, Agca Y (2009). Motility and acrosomal integrity comparisons between electro-ejaculated and epididymal ram sperm after exposure to a range of anisosmotic solutions, cryoprotective agents and low temperatures. Anim Reprod Sci. 110:256-268.
Agca C, Seye C, Shivaji , Kashuba BR, Chan A, Weisman G, Agca Y (2009). Development of a novel transgenic rat over-expressing the P2Y2 nucleotide receptor using a lentiviral vector. J. Vascular Research 46:447-458.
Varisli O, Uguz C, Agca C, Agca Y (2009). Various physical stress factors on rat sperm motility and integrity of acrosome and plasma membrane J of Andrology 30:75-86.
Keskintepe L, Agca Y, Sher G, Keskintepe M, Ginsburg MS (2008). High survival rate of MII human oocytes after 1st polar body biopsy and vitrification: Determining the effect of pre- vitrification conditions. Fertility and Sterility 92:1706-15.
Sher G, Keskintepe L, Mukaida T, Keskintepe M, Ginsburg M, Agca Y, Maassarani G, Bayrak A (2008). Selective vitrification of euploid oocytes markedly improves survival, fertilization and pregnancy-generating potential. Reproductive BioMedicine Online 17:524–529.
Agca C, Fritz J, Walker LC, Levey A, Chan A, Lah JJ, Agca Y (2008). Transgenic rats producing amyloid protein precursor as Alzheimer’s disease model; Transgene and internal APP are regulated similarly. BMC Neuroscience 2008, 9:28 doi:10.1186/1471-2202-9-28.
Baska KM, Manandhar G, Feng D, Agca Y, Tengowski M, Sutovsky M, Sutovsky P (2007). Presence and activity of the extracellular ubiquitin system in the mammalian epididymal fluid. J of Cellular Physiology 215:684-696.
Yang H, Agca Y, Cheng P, Yang J, Agca C, Chan AWS (2007). Enhanced transgenesis by intracytoplasmic injection of bald lentivirus. Genesis 45:177-183.
Agca Y, Bauer B, Johnson D, Critser JK, Riley L (2007). Detection of mouse parvovirus in Mus Musculus gametes, embryos and ovarian tissues by polymerase chain reaction assay. Comparative Medicine 57:10-15.
Seo D, Agca Y, Critser JK, Feng ZC (2007). Development of sorting, aligning, and orienting bull, mouse, and human motile sperm using inexpensive micro-fluidic device operated by hydrostatic pressure. Microfluidics and Nanofluidics 3: 561-570.
Van den Abbeel E, Schneider U, Liu J, Agca Y, Critser JK, Van Steirteghem A (2007). Osmotic responses and tolerance limits of human in-vitro matured MII oocytes to changes in external osmolalities and oolemma permeability characteristics. Human Reproduction 22:1959-1972.
Bryda EC, Pearson M, Agca Y, Bauer B (2006). Method for detection and identification of multiple chromosomal integration sites in transgenic animals created with lentivirus. Biotechniques 41: 715-719.
Mingxuan F, Agca Y, Critser JK and Feng ZC (2006). Vibration study of the piezo-driven pipettes immersed in viscous liquids. Journal of Applied Physics 100 (7): Art. No. 074701.
Spindler RE, Crichton B, Agca Y, Loskutoff, Critser JK, Gardner DK, Wildt DE (2006). Improved felid embryo development by group culture is modified but not lost with hetero specific companions. Theriogenology 66:82-92.
Men H, Agca Y, Riley L, Critser JK (2006). Improved survival of vitrified porcine embryos after partial delipation through chemically stimulated lipolysis and inhibition of apoptosis. Theriogenology 66: 2008-2016.
Men H, Agca Y, Critser ES, Critser JK (2005). Beneficial effects of serum supplementation during in-vitro production of porcine embryos on their ability to survive cryopreservation. Theriogenology 64:1340-1349.
Men H, Agca Y, Mullen SF, Critser ES, Critser JK (2005). Osmotic tolerance of in vitro produced porcine blastocysts assessed by their morphological integrity and cellular actin filament organization. Cryobiology 51:119-129.
Agca Y, Mullen SF, Liu J, Johnson-Ward J, Gould K, Chan A, Critser JK (2005). Osmotic tolerance and membrane permeability characteristics of Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) Spermatozoa. Cryobiology 51:1-14.
Agca Y, Mullen SF, Liu J, Johnson-Ward J, Gould K, Chan A, Critser JK (2005). Osmotic properties of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) spermatozoa. Journal of Andrology 26:470-477.
Walters EM, Men H, Agca Y, Mullen SF, Critser ES, Critser JK (2005). Osmotic tolerance of mouse spermatozoa from various genetic backgrounds: acrosome integrity, membrane integrity, and maintenance of motility. Cryobiology 50:193-205.
Mullen SF, Agca Y, Critser JK (2004). Modeling the probability of MII spindle disruption in bovine oocytes as a function of total osmolality using logistic regression, and it is application toward improved CPA addition and removal procedures. Cell Preservation Technology 2: 145-155.
Mullen SF, Agca Y, Broermann DC, Jenkins CL., Johnson CA, Critser JK (2004). The effect of osmotic stress on the meiotic spindle of mature human oocytes, and the relevance to cryopreservation. Human Reproduction 19:1148-1154.
Woods J, Benson J, Agca Y, Critser JK (2004). Fundamental cryobiology of reproductive cells and tissues. Cryobiology 48:146-156.
Men H, Agca Y, Rutledge JJ, Critser JK (2004). Apoptosis during the development of oocytes and pre-implantation embryos. Assisted Reprod. Tech. and Sci. 4:5-7.
Agca Y, Gilmore J, Byers M, Woods E J, Liu J and Critser JK (2002). Osmotic characteristics of mouse spermatozoa in the presence of extenders and sugars Biol Reprod 67:1493-1501.
Agca Y and Critser JK (2002). Cryopreservation of spermatozoa in assisted reproduction. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine. 20:15-23.Keskintepe L, Agca Y, Gabriella, Pacholczyk A., Machnicki A, Critser JK (2001). Use of cryopreserved one-cell embryos for the production of transgenic mice. Biol Reprod 65:407-411.
Agca Y. Cryopreservation of oocytes and ovarian tissue (2000). The National Academies, Institute for Laboratory Animal Research Journal 41:207-220.
Pfaff RT, Agca Y, Liu J, Woods E, Peter AT, Critser JK (2000). Cryobiology of rat embryos I: determination of zygote membrane permeability coefficients for water and cryoprotectants, the development of improved cryopreservation methods. Biol Reprod 63:1294-1302.
Liu J, Woods E, Agca Y, Critser ES, Critser JK (2000). Cryobiology of rat embryos II: A theoretical model for the development of interrupted slow freezing procedures. Biol Reprod 63:1303-1312.
Agca Y, Liu J, Critser ES, Critser JK (2000). The fundamental cryobiology of rat immature and mature oocytes: Hydraulic conductivity in the presence of Me2SO, Me2SO permeability, and their activation energies. J Exp Zool 286:523-533.
Agca Y, Rutledge JJ, Liu J, Critser ES, Critser JK (2000). The Effect of osmotic stress on the developmental competence of germinal vesicle and metaphase II stage bovine cumulus oocyte complexes and its relevance to cryopreservation Mol Reprod Dev 55:212-219.
Agca Y, Liu J, McGrath JJ, Critser ES, Critser JK (1999) Temperature-dependent osmotic behavior of germinal vesicle- and metaphase II stage bovine oocytes in the presence of DMSO in relationship to cryobiology. Mol Reprod Dev 53: 59-67.
Agca Y, Monson RL, Northey DL, Peschel DE, Schaefer DM, Rutledge JJ (1998). Normal calves from transfer of biopsied, sexed and vitrified IVP bovine embryos. Theriogenology 50: 129-145.
Agca Y, Monson RL, Northey DL, Mazni OA, Schaefer DM, Rutledge JJ (1998). Transfer of fresh and cryopreserved IVP bovine embryos: Normal calving, birth weight and gestation lengths Theriogenology 50: 147-162.
Agca Y, Liu J, McGrath JJ, Peter AT, Critser ES, Critser JK (1998). Membrane permeability characteristics of metaphase II mouse oocytes at various temperatures in the presence of Me2SO. Cryobiology 36: 287-300.
Agca Y, Liu J, Peter AT, Critser ES, Critser JK (1998). Effect of developmental stage on bovine oocyte plasma membrane water and cryoprotectant permeability characteristics. Mol Reprod Dev 49: 408-415.
Book Chapters
Chan AW and Agca Y (2008). Transgenic Animal Models of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Sourcebook of Models for Biomedical Research. In P.M. Conn (Ed.) Humana Press, Pp 323-331.
Agca Y and Chan AW (2007). Transgenic Animals, Comparative Reproductive Biology. In Schatten H and Constantinescu GH (Eds):” Iowa State Press, a Blackwell Publishing Company Pp. 133-145.
Agca Y and Men H (2007). Gender selection in mammalian semen and pre-implantation embryos. Comparative Reproductive Biology, In Schatten H & Constantinescu GH (Eds): Iowa State Press, a Blackwell Publishing Comp. Pp.147-157.
Agca Y and Critser JK (2005). Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Genetic Engineering in Rats. The Laboratory Rats, second edition Suckow MA, Weisbroth SH and Franklin CL, Academic Press pp. 165-190.
Critser JK, Agca Y, Woods E. (2002). Cryopreservation of immature and mature gametes. In Christopher J De Jonge and Christopher LR Barratt (Eds): “Assisted Reproductive Technology: Accomplishment and New Horizons” Cambridge University Press. Pp. 144-166.
Critser JK, Agca Y, Gunasena KT (1997). The cryobiology of mammalian oocytes. In Karow A and Critser JK (eds): “Reproductive Tissue Banking: Scientific principles” Academic Press. pp. 329-357.