Chris J. Leaver

Last updated

Chris Leaver
CBE FRS FRSE MAE
Born
Christopher John Leaver

(1942-05-31) 31 May 1942 (age 82) [1]
Education Lyme Regis Grammar School
Alma mater Imperial College London (BSc, PhD) [2]
Awards EMBO Membership (1982) [3]
Fulbright Scholarship (1966)
Scientific career
Fields Biochemistry
Plant physiology
Molecular biology
Institutions
Thesis The correlation between nucleic acid synthesis and induced enzyme activity in plant tissue slices  (1966)
Doctoral students
Website www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/people/christopher-leaver

Christopher John Leaver CBE FRS FRSE MAE (born 31 May 1942) [1] is an Emeritus Professorial Fellow of St John's College, Oxford [7] [8] who served as Sibthorpian Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford from 1990 to 2007. [9] [10] [11]

Contents

Education

Leaver was educated at Lyme Regis Grammar School and Imperial College London [1] where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree (first class) followed by a PhD in plant physiology in 1966. [2]

Career and research

Leaver's area of expertise is in plant biochemistry, development, plant physiology and signalling; [7] [12] [13] before his current positions, he has at the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University [14] and the University of Edinburgh. [15] [16] During his career, Leaver held the following positions:

Awards and honours

Leaver was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1986. [18] His nomination reads:

Distinguished for his contributions to unravelling the role of nucleic acids in the development of higher plants. Leaver was the first person to isolate nucleic acids from higher plants in 1964, and produced the first description of the pathway of cytoplasmic ribosomal RNA synthesis. He discovered a novel species of 4.5S RNA in chloroplast ribosomes, and with W, Bottomley developed the coupled transcription-translation system now used in the analysis of chloroplast DNA. He established that the synthesis of glyoxysomal enzymes in cucumber seedlings is under transcriptional control. His more recent and innovative work concerns the structure, information content and expression of the plant mitochondrial genome, a field he has pioneered. He was the first to isolate plant mitochondrial ribosomes, establish their unique RNA composition, and develop the standard system now used for protein synthesis by isolated plant mitochondria. His work has produced strong evidence linking the agriculturally important trait of cytoplasmic male sterility in maize and sorghum with mutations in the mitochondrial genome which lead to the production of variant polypeptides. As well as isolating several protein-encoding plant mitochondrial genes, he has identified, cloned and sequenced the first nuclear gene for a plant mitochondrial protein. [18]

Leaver was also awarded EMBO Membership in 1982, [3] elected a member of the Academia Europaea in 1989 [19] and appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours. [1]

Personal life

Leaver's Who's Who entry lists his recreations as “walking and talking in Upper Coquetdale” in Northumberland. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nucleic acid</span> Class of large biomolecules essential to all known life

Nucleic acids are large biomolecules that are crucial in all cells and viruses. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomer components: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. The two main classes of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). If the sugar is ribose, the polymer is RNA; if the sugar is deoxyribose, a variant of ribose, the polymer is DNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RNA polymerase</span> Enzyme that synthesizes RNA from DNA

In molecular biology, RNA polymerase, or more specifically DNA-directed/dependent RNA polymerase (DdRP), is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reactions that synthesize RNA from a DNA template.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transfer RNA</span> RNA that facilitates the addition of amino acids to a new protein

Transfer RNA is an adaptor molecule composed of RNA, typically 76 to 90 nucleotides in length. In a cell, it provides the physical link between the genetic code in messenger RNA (mRNA) and the amino acid sequence of proteins, carrying the correct sequence of amino acids to be combined by the protein-synthesizing machinery, the ribosome. Each three-nucleotide codon in mRNA is complemented by a three-nucleotide anticodon in tRNA. As such, tRNAs are a necessary component of translation, the biological synthesis of new proteins in accordance with the genetic code.

Polyadenylation is the addition of a poly(A) tail to an RNA transcript, typically a messenger RNA (mRNA). The poly(A) tail consists of multiple adenosine monophosphates; in other words, it is a stretch of RNA that has only adenine bases. In eukaryotes, polyadenylation is part of the process that produces mature mRNA for translation. In many bacteria, the poly(A) tail promotes degradation of the mRNA. It, therefore, forms part of the larger process of gene expression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Winter</span> English biochemist (born 1951)

Sir Gregory Paul Winter is a Nobel Prize-winning English molecular biologist best known for his work on the therapeutic use of monoclonal antibodies. His research career has been based almost entirely at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the MRC Centre for Protein Engineering, in Cambridge, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RNA editing</span> Molecular process

RNA editing is a molecular process through which some cells can make discrete changes to specific nucleotide sequences within an RNA molecule after it has been generated by RNA polymerase. It occurs in all living organisms and is one of the most evolutionarily conserved properties of RNAs. RNA editing may include the insertion, deletion, and base substitution of nucleotides within the RNA molecule. RNA editing is relatively rare, with common forms of RNA processing not usually considered as editing. It can affect the activity, localization as well as stability of RNAs, and has been linked with human diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Start codon</span> First codon of a messenger RNA translated by a ribosome

The start codon is the first codon of a messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript translated by a ribosome. The start codon always codes for methionine in eukaryotes and archaea and a N-formylmethionine (fMet) in bacteria, mitochondria and plastids.

In molecular biology, a twintron is an intron-within-intron excised by sequential splicing reactions. A twintron is presumably formed by the insertion of a mobile intron into an existing intron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Group II intron</span> Class of self-catalyzing ribozymes

Group II introns are a large class of self-catalytic ribozymes and mobile genetic elements found within the genes of all three domains of life. Ribozyme activity can occur under high-salt conditions in vitro. However, assistance from proteins is required for in vivo splicing. In contrast to group I introns, intron excision occurs in the absence of GTP and involves the formation of a lariat, with an A-residue branchpoint strongly resembling that found in lariats formed during splicing of nuclear pre-mRNA. It is hypothesized that pre-mRNA splicing may have evolved from group II introns, due to the similar catalytic mechanism as well as the structural similarity of the Group II Domain V substructure to the U6/U2 extended snRNA. Finally, their ability to site-specifically insert into DNA sites has been exploited as a tool for biotechnology. For example, group II introns can be modified to make site-specific genome insertions and deliver cargo DNA such as reporter genes or lox sites

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polynucleotide phosphorylase</span> Class of enzymes

Polynucleotide Phosphorylase (PNPase) is a bifunctional enzyme with a phosphorolytic 3' to 5' exoribonuclease activity and a 3'-terminal oligonucleotide polymerase activity. That is, it dismantles the RNA chain starting at the 3' end and working toward the 5' end. It also synthesizes long, highly heteropolymeric tails in vivo. It accounts for all of the observed residual polyadenylation in strains of Escherichia coli missing the normal polyadenylation enzyme. Discovered by Marianne Grunberg-Manago working in Severo Ochoa's lab in 1955, the RNA-polymerization activity of PNPase was initially believed to be responsible for DNA-dependent synthesis of messenger RNA, a notion that was disproven by the late 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5S ribosomal RNA</span> RNA component of the large subunit of the ribosome

The 5S ribosomal RNA is an approximately 120 nucleotide-long ribosomal RNA molecule with a mass of 40 kDa. It is a structural and functional component of the large subunit of the ribosome in all domains of life, with the exception of mitochondrial ribosomes of fungi and animals. The designation 5S refers to the molecule's sedimentation coefficient in an ultracentrifuge, which is measured in Svedberg units (S).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Baulcombe</span> British plant scientist and geneticist

Sir David Charles Baulcombe is a British plant scientist and geneticist. As of 2017 he is a Royal Society Research Professor. From 2007 to 2020 he was Regius Professor of Botany in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">28S ribosomal RNA</span> RNA component of the large subunit of the eukaryotic ribosome

28S ribosomal RNA is the structural ribosomal RNA (rRNA) for the large subunit (LSU) of eukaryotic cytoplasmic ribosomes, and thus one of the basic components of all eukaryotic cells. It has a size of 25S in plants and 28S in mammals, hence the alias of 25S–28S rRNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloroplast DNA</span> DNA located in cellular organelles called chloroplasts

Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) is the DNA located in chloroplasts, which are photosynthetic organelles located within the cells of some eukaryotic organisms. Chloroplasts, like other types of plastid, contain a genome separate from that in the cell nucleus. The existence of chloroplast DNA was identified biochemically in 1959, and confirmed by electron microscopy in 1962. The discoveries that the chloroplast contains ribosomes and performs protein synthesis revealed that the chloroplast is genetically semi-autonomous. The first complete chloroplast genome sequences were published in 1986, Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) by Sugiura and colleagues and Marchantia polymorpha (liverwort) by Ozeki et al. Since then, a great number of chloroplast DNAs from various species have been sequenced.

George Gow Brownlee FRS FMedSci is a British pathologist and Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford.

Sir Hugh Reginald Brentnall Pelham, is a cell biologist who has contributed to our understanding of the body's response to rises in temperature through the synthesis of heat shock proteins. He served as director of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) between 2006 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian A. Graham</span> British biologist (born 1963)

Ian Alexander Graham is a professor of Biochemical Genetics in the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP) at the University of York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth H. Wolfe</span> Irish geneticist and academic

Kenneth Henry Wolfe is an Irish geneticist and professor of genomic evolution at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Cashmore</span> New Zealand molecular biologist

Anthony R. Cashmore is a biochemist and plant molecular biologist, best known for identifying cryptochrome photoreceptor proteins. These specialized proteins are critical for plant development and play an essential role in circadian rhythms of plants and animals. A Professor emeritus in the Department of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, Cashmore led the Plant Science Institute from the time of his appointment in 1986 until his retirement in 2011. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2003.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Anon (2017). "Leaver, Prof. Christopher John" . Who's Who (online Oxford University Press  ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U24069.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. 1 2 Leaver, Christopher John (1966). The correlation between nucleic acid synthesis and induced enzyme activity in plant tissue slices. london.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of London (Queen Elizabeth College and Imperial College of Science and Technology). OCLC   681131873.
  3. 1 2 Anon (1982). "EMBO Member: Christopher J. Leaver". people.embo.org. European Molecular Biology Organization. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017.
  4. ↑ Graham, Ian Alexander (1989). Structure and function of the cucumber malate synthase gene and expression during plant development. ed.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Edinburgh. hdl:1842/12057. OCLC   557195389. EThOS   uk.bl.ethos.278942. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. ↑ Graham, Ian A.; Smith, Laura M.; Brown, John W. S.; Leaver, Christopher J.; Smith, Steven M. (1989). "The malate synthase gene of cucumber". Plant Molecular Biology. 13 (6): 673–684. doi:10.1007/BF00016022. PMID   2491683. S2CID   23684986.
  6. ↑ Hill, Steven Arthur (1990). The regulation of mitochondrial function during early seedling development in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). ed.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Edinburgh. hdl:1842/14071. OCLC   606083438. EThOS   uk.bl.ethos.652440. Lock-green.svg
  7. 1 2 Chris J. Leaver publications indexed by Google Scholar OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  8. ↑ Chris J. Leaver publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
  9. ↑ Balk, J.; Leaver, C.; McCabe, P. (1999). "Translocation of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol occurs during heat-induced programmed cell death in cucumber plants". FEBS Letters. 463 (1–2): 151–154. Bibcode:1999FEBSL.463..151B. doi:10.1016/S0014-5793(99)01611-7. PMID   10601657. S2CID   6087038.
  10. ↑ Alpi, A.; Amrhein, N.; Bertl, A.; Blatt, M.; Blumwald, E.; Cervone, F.; Dainty, J.; De Michelis, M.; Epstein, E.; Galston, A. W.; Goldsmith, M. H. M.; Hawes, C.; Hell, R. D.; Hetherington, A.; Hofte, H.; Juergens, G.; Leaver, C. J.; Moroni, A.; Murphy, A.; Oparka, K.; Perata, P.; Quader, H.; Rausch, T.; Ritzenthaler, C.; Rivetta, A.; Robinson, D. G.; Sanders, D.; Scheres, B.; Schumacher, K.; Sentenac, H. (2007). "Plant neurobiology: no brain, no gain?". Trends in Plant Science. 12 (4): 135–136. Bibcode:2007TPS....12..135A. doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2007.03.002. PMID   17368081.
  11. ↑ Swidzinski, J.; Sweetlove, L.; Leaver, C. (2002). "A custom microarray analysis of gene expression during programmed cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana". The Plant Journal. 30 (4): 431–446. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.2002.01301.x . PMID   12028573.
  12. ↑ Fox, T. D.; Leaver, C. J. (1981). "The zea mays mitochondrial gene coding cytochrome oxidase subunit II has an intervening sequence and does not contain TGA codons". Cell. 26 (3): 315–323. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(81)90200-2. PMID   6276012. S2CID   41661616.
  13. ↑ May, M. J.; Vernoux, T.; Leaver, C.; Montagu, M. V.; Inze, D. (1998). "Glutathione homeostasis in plants: Implications for environmental sensing and plant development". Journal of Experimental Botany. 49 (321): 649–667. doi: 10.1093/jxb/49.321.649 .
  14. ↑ Leaver, C.; Key, J. (1967). "Polyribosome formation and RNA synthesis during aging of carrot-root tissue". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 57 (5): 1338–1344. Bibcode:1967PNAS...57.1338L. doi: 10.1073/pnas.57.5.1338 . PMC   224477 . PMID   5231738.
  15. ↑ Leaver, C.; Ingle, J. (1971). "The molecular integrity of chloroplast ribosomal ribonucleic acid". The Biochemical Journal. 123 (2): 235–243. doi:10.1042/bj1230235. PMC   1176928 . PMID   5001778.
  16. ↑ Trewavas, A; Leaver, CJ (2001). "Is opposition to GM crops science or politics? An investigation into the arguments that GM crops pose a particular threat to the environment". EMBO Reports. 2 (6): 455–9. doi:10.1093/embo-reports/kve123. PMC   1083916 . PMID   11415971.
  17. ↑ Anon (2009). "Imperial College Hornsund Expedition, 1962". Polar Record. 11 (74): 596. doi:10.1017/S0032247400055728. S2CID   251061959.
  18. 1 2 Anon (1986). "EC/1986/22: Leaver, Christopher John". Royal Society. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014.
  19. ↑ "Christopher Leaver MAE". ae-info.org. Academy of Europe.
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