Joan Elaine Argetsinger Steitz (born January 26, 1941) is an American biochemist and molecular biologist, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, the Director of the Molecular Genetics Program at the Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine [4] at Yale University and Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is known for her discoveries involving RNA and how it works in cells including ground-breaking insights into how ribosomes interact with messenger RNA by complementary base pairing and that introns are spliced by small nuclear ribonucleic proteins (snRNPs), which occur in eukaryotes.[5][6][7][8][9] Her career spans several decades, and her contributions to science have earned a prominent place in the history of molecular biology. Her research has significantly advanced our understanding of RNA biology, molecular genetics and cellular processes. Steitz's work has influenced not only the way we understand the molecular mechanism of life but also created the foundation knowledges for development of new therapeutic approaches in biotechnology and medicine. Upon her extensive experience in RNA biology, her research laid the groundwork for the development of the recent Covid-19 mRNA vaccines. The scientific contributions particularly in the areas of RNA biology and CRISPR genetic engineering, underscore the critical importance of basic scientific research in driving medical advancements.
Steitz was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[11] She grew up in Minnesota in the 1950s and 60s and attended the all-girls Northrop Collegiate School for high school where they are only offered only three science classes [12]
Joan Steitz demonstrated an early curiosity for science by collecting rock and butterfly (https://laskerfoundation.org/joan-steitz-a-champion-for-rna/) , she is interested particularly in the fields of biology and chemistry during a period in which societal expectations often limited the professional aspiration of women, and career options [13]
In 1958, Joan Steitz attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. During her time there, she encountered limited information on DNA, as the structure of DNA had only recently been elucidated and had not yet been incorporated into the biology curriculum. In 1963, Steitz received her Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Antioch College, Ohio, where she first became interested in molecular biology at Alex Rich's Massachusetts Institute of Technology laboratory as an Antioch "coop" intern.
After completing her undergraduate degree, Steitz applied to medical school rather than graduate school since she knew of women medical doctors but not women scientists.[14] Throughout her academic journey, Steitz had never encountered a female science professor or laboratory director. The limited number of women who obtained PhDs typically worked as research associates or junior scientists in the labs led by men, reflecting the gender disparity that characterized the scientific community during that time. Moreover, this lack or representation prevailing limited opportunities for women in science and academia. Becoming a medical doctor was a more realistic career path for women at this time, prompting Steitz to apply to medical school at Harvard [15] 1963, she was accepted to Harvard Medical School, but having been excited by a summer working as a bench scientist in the laboratory of Joseph Gall at the University of Minnesota where she can run her own project looking for DNA and RNA in organelle, she turned down the invitation to Harvard Medical School and instead applied to Harvard's new program in biochemistry and molecular biology.
During her first year of graduate school, Joan faced a significant challenge where a well-respected male professor refused to advise her thesis work simply because she was a woman. She reflects:”But you’re a woman. What will you do when you get married and have a family? This rejection could have easily discouraged her, reinforcing the systemic barriers and gender discrimination that women faced during this era. However, rather than abandoning her pursuit of a career in science and reverting to her initial plan of becoming a doctor, Steitz chose to persevere. She sought out another mentor – James Dewey Watson as her advisor. Under his mentorship she completed postdoctoral degree.There, she was the first woman graduate student to join the laboratory of Nobel Laureate James Watson, Watson's laboratory focused on understanding the mechanisms of gene expression within the cell, particularly through the processes of transcription and translation. At a fundamental level, DNA carries the genetic information, which serves as a blueprint for the production of proteins with specific functions. However, an essential intermediate step exists between DNA and protein. Transcription produces messenger RNA (mRNA) from the DNA sequence, and this mRNA is subsequently translated by the ribosome into an amino acid sequence, forming the final protein product. It was during her time in Watson's lab that Steitz developed a deep interest in RNA and its diverse roles within the cell. She investigated mRNA translation using bacteriophage as a model system, which allowed for the efficient isolation and manipulation of translational machinery.[16] Therefore, she first worked on her PhD research about bacteriophageRNA.[17] - a bacteriophage with an RNA-based genome, rather than the common DNA genome. Her work focused on elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying the assembly of an individual virus from it constituent building blocks
Career
Steitz describes her excitement about research in the field of biology, her contributions, and their vast implications on health today.
While studying chemistry as an undergraduate at Antioch College in Ohio, Steitz had the opportunity to work as a technician in the laboratory of Alexander Rich, a molecular biologist at MIT. In this role, she investigates whether ribosomes which is denatured by heat could regain their original structure once they cooled. The experiment was straightforward; she spent three months heating and cooling ribosome solutions while tracking their light absorption. Even though the experiment ended up complete failure; however, the sparked that this opportunity light a deep and lasting curiosity about RNA in her. She stated “I got hooked on RNA, and since then everything I have done has to do with RNA”[18]
Summer 1963, Joan applied to temporary positions in various labs in needs of gain additional scientific experience while visiting her parents in Minneapolis before beginning her studies at Harvard. She get hired by a cell biologist and future recipient of the 2026 Albert Lasker Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science – Joseph Gall. He offered her a position, unlike her experience at MIT, she had primarily followed the directions of other researchers. At Gall’s lab, Joan was given the freedom to pursue her own project. This summer job opportunities leading her to reconsider her career path. August 1, 1963 Joan had decided to spend her life discovery science.
Steitz earned her Ph.D from Harvard in 1967[19]. Upon transitioning to a postdoctoral position at Cambridge University. Steitz address one of the fundamental and pressing questions in molecular biology: “How the cellular protein synthesis machinery determines the specific location on a messenger RNA (mRNA) strand to initiate translation into proteins
In 1970, Steitz joined the faculty at Yale. Following her postdoctoral training, Steitz established her own research lab at Yale University, where she has mentored a diverse group of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows over the years. Together, they have made substantial contributions to the field of RNA biology. Steitz is committed to fostering an environment in her lab that encourages young scientists to take full ownership of their projects. While she still finds immense joy in making groundbreaking discoveries herself, she considers guiding emerging scientists as they make their own discoveries to be one of the most fulfilling aspects of her work.
In 1975, she published a research finding for which she is widely known[21][22]Steitz published a groundbreaking study PNAS, which provided the first experimental evidence of specific and consistent base pairing between the mRNA transcript and the 16S rRNA within the ribosome. Prior to this work, the detailed mechanisms of mRNA recognition by the ribosome were not well understood. Steitz's research demonstrated that a precise interaction occurs between the RNA within the ribosome and complementary sequences in the mRNA, revealing a key step in the process of translation. This discovery was particularly significant because it highlighted how even a very small region of RNA—just seven base pairs in length—plays a crucial role in facilitating the binding of mRNA to the ribosome. The study not only advanced the understanding of molecular biology but also emphasized the importance of small RNA sequences in essential biological processes, fundamentally reshaping how scientists viewed the mechanics of protein synthesis.
In 1980, Steitz in collaboration with Michael Lerner published another critical paper in August 1981, using immunoprecipitation with human antibodies from patients with autoimmunity to isolate and identify snRNPs (pronounced "snurps") and detect their role in splicing.[5] A snRNP is a specific short length of RNA, around 150 nucleotides long, associated with protein, that is involved in splicing introns out of newly transcribed RNA (pre-mRNA), a component of the spliceosomes. Steitz's paper "set the field ahead by light years and heralded the avalanche of small RNAs that have since been discovered to play a role in multiple steps in RNA biosynthesis," noted Susan Berget.[14]
Steitz later discovered another kind of snRNP particle, the snoRNP, involved in an important minority of mRNA splicing reactions. Via analysis of the genetic locations of the genes for snoRNPs, she demonstrated conclusively that introns are not "junk DNA" as they had often been described. Her work helps explain the phenomenon of "alternative RNA splicing."[23][24] Her discovery of the snRNPs and snoRNPs explains a mysterious finding: humans have only double the number of genes of a fruit fly. "The reason we can get away with so few genes is that when you have these bits of nonsense, you can splice them out in different ways," she said. "Sometimes you can get rid of things and add things because of this splicing process so that each gene has slightly different protein products that can do slightly different things. So it multiplies up the information content in each of our genes."[25]
Steitz has commented on the sexist treatment of women in science, and has been a "tireless promoter of women in science," noted Christine Guthrie, who described Steitz as "one of the greatest scientists of our generation."[14]
Steitz served on the Board of Scientific Advisors (BSA) for a total of 19 years, from 1983 to 2002. During the final 11 years of this period, she also held the position of Director of the BSA, where she played a key role in shaping the scientific direction and maintaining the rigor of the fund. Since 2008, Steitz has been a member of the Board of Managers.
1986 – Present investigator, Howard Hughes medical institute
1992 – 1998 Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University
1996 – 1999 Chairman, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University
1998 – Present Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University
In 2008, Steitz founded the Joan A. Steitz Child Dependent Fund, using the prize money she received from the prestigious Gairdner Award to support this initiative. The primary purpose of the fund is to provide financial assistance to JCC Fellows who have children, offering them an additional stipend to help offset the costs associated with childcare. Steitz's creation of this fund reflects her commitment to supporting early-career scientists, particularly those balancing the demands of both family and professional responsibilities, ensuring that financial barriers related to childcare do not hinder their academic and research pursuits.
2014 - Joan Steitz was elected to The Jackson Laboratory's Board of Trustees in October [28]
In 2020, Dr. Steitz was honored as the Ida M. Green Distinguished Visiting Professor at UT Southwestern, a honor that acknowledges her outstanding contributions to science and medicine, with a particular focus on recognizing and supporting women in these fields. Dr. Steitz is widely respected for her unwavering dedication to teaching and mentoring the next generation of scientists, as well as for her vocal advocacy for women in science, where she has been an influential figure in promoting gender equality. Additionally, she has been an outspoken champion in raising awareness about the implicit biases that persist within both medicine and scientific research, working to challenge and address these issues. During her visit at UT Southwestern, Dr. Steitz delivered a lecture titled “The Enigma of Viral Noncoding RNAs,” where she shared her insights into the complex roles that noncoding RNAs play in viral biology, further solidifying her reputation as a leading expert in the field of RNA biology.[29]
In February 2021, a donation of $33,000 was made to the Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine. These funds will be used to establish the Yale RNA Scholars Program, which aims to support the development of early-career RNA scientists.[30]
Personal life
Steitz (born Joan Argetsinger). Joan's parents, both dedicated schoolteachers, played a significant role in nurturing her early passion for science, encouraging her curiosity and intellectual development from a young age. This support laid the foundation for her future scientific career.
During her graduate studies, Joan met Thomas while they were both pursuing their degrees under the guidance of the highly regarded Professor Lipscomb, whose mentorship profoundly influenced their academic journeys.
She married Thomas Steitz while they at Harvard and he was a PhD student studying protein crystallography. Thomas also a Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale and the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate, in 1966.
In 1970, both Steitz and her husband began their academic careers at Yale University, accepting assistant professor positions. This marked a significant milestone in their professional lives, as they each established their own independent research laboratories at the university, beginning their contributions to the scientific community while also shaping the future of RNA biology and other fields of study.
The couple lived in Branford, Connecticut and welcome their first son named Jon Steitz in 1966.[31]
She had two grandchildren Adam Thomas Steitz and Madeline Grace Steitz [32]
In 2018, just two weeks after receiving the Lasker-Koshland Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science, Steitz faced the personal loss of her husband, Thomas Steitz, who passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 52.
1976 – Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry.[57]
1975 – Passano Foundation Young Scientist Award.[58]
Her nomination for the Royal Society reads:
Joan Steitz is one of the pioneers of the field of RNA biology who is world-renowned for her many seminal contributions. She showed how ribosomal RNA is used to initiate translation at the start site of mRNA. She discovered spliceosomes, the particles that are the sites of splicing of pre-messenger RNA into the final mature mRNA and elucidated many of their roles. She discovered that introns, which were thought to be inert, code for sno RNAs that target the modification of other cellular RNAs during their maturation. More recently she has found new roles for microRNAs in gene regulation.[59]
↑ Thomas R. Cech and Joan A Steitz (2014) “The Noncoding RNA Revolution Trashing the Old Rules to Forge New Ones.” Cell157 (1): 77–94.
↑ Woan-Yuh Tam and Joan A. Steitz, (1997) “Pre-mRNA splicing: the discovery of a new spliceosome doubles the challenge. – Trends in Biochemical Sciences22(4): 132–37.
↑ Elaine Carey, "Female scientist 'a hero in her field': Yale's Joan Steitz, 65 honoured", Toronto Star April 3, 2006, p. A04; ( "The Gairdner Foundation". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2006-11-27.).
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