Education
PhD 1951, University of Chicago
Research Summary
Maurice Fox passed away on January 26, 2020. He came to MIT’s Department of Biology in 1962 from a position at Rockefeller University, and retired over three decades later in 1996. He was instrumental in revising, modernizing, and upgrading the teaching of 7.03 (Genetics), and helped create 7.50 (Methods and Logic in Molecular Biology). Fox also served as Head of the Department from 1985 to 1989. He studied mechanisms of mutation, recombination, and mismatch repair.
Awards
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow, 1995
- National Academy of Sciences, Member, 1988
- National Academy of Medicine, Member, 1981
Education
- PhD 1962, University of Durham
- BS 1952, Chemistry, Patna University
Research Summary
Before closing his lab, Uttam RahBhandary studied RNA-protein interactions, which play a crucial role in gene expression, gene regulation and development. The many proteins with which tRNAs interact during protein synthesis make them excellent systems for investigating specific RNA-protein interactions. He examined tRNA structure, function and biosynthesis using biochemistry, genetics and in vivo functional analyses. Uttam RajBhandary is no longer accepting students.
Awards
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow, 1991
Education
- Postdoctoral training with Michael Sela, Herman Eisen, and Rodney Porter
- MD, 1959, Yale School of Medicine
- MA, 1956, Mathematics, Radcliffe College
- BA, 1954, Mathematics, Swarthmore College
Research Summary
Lisa Steiner explored the range of structural variation among antibodies in vertebrate species. The variation observed demonstrates that effective antibodies, while sharing certain basic features such as variable and constant regions, can be unexpectedly diverse in structure, varying in number of polypeptide chains or in pattern of disulfide bridging. Moreover, the polypeptide chains in non-mammalian vertebrates do not generally fall into classifications developed for mammalian antibodies, such as kappa, lambda, gamma, etc. Francois Jacob has called such variability “evolutionary tinkering.”
Lisa Steiner is no longer accepting students.
Education
- PhD, 1971, University of California, Berkeley
- BA, 1968, Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania
Research Summary
I study ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs), which catalyze the conversion of nucleotides to deoxynucleotides and play an essential role in DNA replication and repair. I support a range of ongoing projects, including those related to the radical propagation pathway utilized by Class I RNRs, the interactions between protein subunits of Class I RNR, the regulation of RNRs, and the mechanisms behind clinical drugs. I also examine the biosynthesis, activation, and regulation of formation of the essential metallo-cofactors of RNRs in E. coli, S. cerevisiae, and humans. JoAnne Stubbe is no longer accepting students.
Awards
- Priestley Medalist, American Chemical Society, 2020
- American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow, 2014
- National Science Foundation, National Medal of Science, 2008
- National Academy of Sciences, Member, 1992
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow, 1991
- Welch Award in Chemistry 2010
- NAS Chemical Sciences Award 2010
- Pearl Meister Greengard Award 2017
Education
Research Summary
Paul Schimmel’s research interests have focused on aminoacyl tRNA synthetases — an ancient and universal set of essential enzymes. His laboratory has worked on a universal mechanism for correcting errors in the interpretation of genetic information, and went on to show how this mechanism is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis and preventing serious pathologies and disease. His laboratory also discovered what others refer to as a ‘tRNA synthetase-directed primordial’ or ‘second’ genetic code, which was eventually incorporated into the modern code. In a separate line of research published back in 1983, Schimmel developed the concept of what are now known as ESTs (expressed sequence tags), and the strategy of shotgun sequencing — approaches that were adopted into the human genome project several years later. Lastly, his laboratory connected synthetases to disease and, most recently, they reported the structural and functional metamorphosis of these proteins, whereby they are repurposed with novel activities, both inside and outside the cell, in a variety of cell signaling pathways. The Schimmel lab is no longer accepting students.
Awards
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Member of the National Academy of Sciences
- Member of the American Philosophical Society
- Member of the Institute of Medicine (National Academy of Medicine)
- Member of the National Academy of Inventors
- Former President of the Division of Biological Chemistry of the American Chemical Society
- Editorial board member on numerous scientific journals
Education
- PhD, 1990, University of London
- BSc, 1986, Biochemistry, University of York
Research Summary
We identify the proteins and pathways involved in tumorigenicity — establishing their mechanism of action in both normal and tumor cells. To do so, we use a combination of molecular and cellular analyses, mutant mouse models and genetic screens in zebrafish.
Education
Research Summary
The Kaiser lab studied protein folding and intracellular trafficking in the yeast S. cerevisiae. Their work focused on the protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), quality control mechanisms in the ER, and membrane protein sorting in Golgi compartments. They combined genetic, biochemical, and cell biological methods to gain an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying each of these processes. Chris Kaiser is no longer accepting students.
Education
- PhD, 2001, Johns Hopkins University
- BS, 1993, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Wesleyan University
Research Summary
Many human cancers do not respond to chemotherapy, and often times those that initially respond eventually acquire drug resistance. Our lab uses high-throughput screening technology — combined with murine stem reconstitution and tumor transplantation systems — to investigate the genetic basis for this resistance. Our goal is to identify novel cancer drug targets, as well as strategies for tailoring existing cancer therapies to target the vulnerabilities associated with specific malignancies.
Education
- PhD, 1976, Cornell University
Research Summary
The Constantine-Paton lab focused on the Flailer mutant mouse, which carries a brain region-specific dominant negative gene for the actin motor protein MyosinVa and shows a series of abnormal behaviors. They designed a CRISPR-Cas9 that removes this dominant negative mutation from certain brain regions to dissect the contribution of each region to normal behavior. Martha Constantine-Paton is no longer accepting students.
Awards
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow, 2015
Education
- PhD, 1988, Stanford University
- BS, 1983, Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Summary
Our goal is to understand the mechanisms and regulation behind AAA+ unfoldases and macromolecular machines from the “Clp/Hsp100 family” of protein unfolding enzymes. We study these biological catalysts using biochemistry, structural biology, molecular biology, genetics, and single molecule biophysics.
No longer accepting students.
Awards
- Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow, 2008-2018
- National Academy of Sciences, Member, 2007
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow, 2005
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, HHMI Investigator, 1994
