Robert G. Roeder | |
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Born | Robert Gayle Roeder June 3, 1942 Boonville, Indiana, United States |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Washington, University of Illinois, Wabash College |
Known for | |
Awards | |
Scientific career | |
Fields | |
Institutions | Washington University in St. Louis Rockefeller University |
Thesis | Multiple RNA Polymerases and RNA Synthesis in Eukaryotic Systems (1969) |
Doctoral advisor | William J. Rutter |
Other academic advisors | Donald D. Brown |
Doctoral students |
Robert G. Roeder (born June 3, 1942, in Boonville, Indiana, United States) is an American biochemist. He is known as a pioneer scientist in eukaryotic transcription. He discovered three distinct nuclear RNA polymerases in 1969 [1] and characterized many proteins involved in the regulation of transcription, including basic transcription factors and the first mammalian gene-specific activator over five decades of research. [2] He is the recipient of the Gairdner Foundation International Award in 2000, the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 2003, and the Kyoto Prize in 2021. He currently serves as Arnold and Mabel Beckman Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Biochemical and Molecular Biology at The Rockefeller University.
Roeder was born in Boonville, Indiana, US in 1942. He received his B.A. summa cum laude in chemistry from Wabash College in 1964 and his M.S. in chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1965. He received his Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1969 from the University of Washington, Seattle, where he worked with William J. Rutter. He did postdoctoral work with Donald D. Brown at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, in Baltimore, from 1969 to 1971. He was a member of the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis from 1971 to 1982, when he joined The Rockefeller University. In 1985, he was named Arnold and Mabel Beckman Professor. He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1988 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1995, and a foreign associate member of the European Molecular Biology Organization in 2003.
The Roeder Laboratory has trained hundreds of students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom hold independent positions in prominent biomedical research institutions, including Richard A. Bernstein (Northwestern University), Robert B. Darnell (Rockefeller University and HHMI), Beverly M. Emerson (Salk Institute for Biological Studies), Michael R. Green (University of Massachusetts Medical School and HHMI), Wei Gu (Columbia University), Nathaniel Heintz (Rockefeller University and HHMI), Andrew B. Lassar (Harvard Medical School), Carl S. Parker (California Institute of Technology), Ron Prywes (Columbia University), Danny Reinberg (New York University School of Medicine and HHMI), Hazel L. Sive (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Whitehead Institute) and Jerry Workman (Stowers Institute for Medical Research). [37]
RNA polymerase II is a multiprotein complex that transcribes DNA into precursors of messenger RNA (mRNA) and most small nuclear RNA (snRNA) and microRNA. It is one of the three RNAP enzymes found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. A 550 kDa complex of 12 subunits, RNAP II is the most studied type of RNA polymerase. A wide range of transcription factors are required for it to bind to upstream gene promoters and begin transcription.
The TATA-binding protein (TBP) is a general transcription factor that binds to a DNA sequence called the TATA box. This DNA sequence is found about 30 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site in some eukaryotic gene promoters.
Transcription factor II D (TFIID) is one of several general transcription factors that make up the RNA polymerase II preinitiation complex. RNA polymerase II holoenzyme is a form of eukaryotic RNA polymerase II that is recruited to the promoters of protein-coding genes in living cells. It consists of RNA polymerase II, a subset of general transcription factors, and regulatory proteins known as SRB proteins. Before the start of transcription, the transcription Factor II D (TFIID) complex binds to the core promoter DNA of the gene through specific recognition of promoter sequence motifs, including the TATA box, Initiator, Downstream Promoter, Motif Ten, or Downstream Regulatory elements.
Transcription initiation factor TFIID subunit 6 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TAF6 gene.
Transcription initiation factor TFIID subunit 1, also known as transcription initiation factor TFIID 250 kDa subunit (TAFII-250) or TBP-associated factor 250 kDa (p250), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TAF1 gene.
Mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 1 also known as DRIP205 or Trap220 is a subunit of the Mediator complex and is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MED1 gene. MED1 functions as a nuclear receptor coactivator.
TAF9 RNA polymerase II, TATA box binding protein (TBP)-associated factor, 32kDa, also known as TAF9, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TAF9 gene.
Transcription elongation factor A protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TCEA1 gene.
Activated RNA polymerase II transcriptional coactivator p15 also known as positive cofactor 4 (PC4) or SUB1 homolog is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SUB1 gene. The human SUB1 gene is named after an orthologous gene in yeast.
Cell division protein kinase 8 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the CDK8 gene.
Transcription initiation factor TFIID subunit 10 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TAF10 gene.
Transcription initiation factor TFIID subunit 5 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TAF5 gene.
Mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 24 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MED24 gene.
Mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 4 also known as mediator complex subunit 4 (MED4), a component of Mediator or vitamin D3 receptor-interacting protein complex 36 kDa component (DRIP36) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MED4 gene.
Transcription factor IIIA is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GTF3A gene.
Mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 17 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MED17 gene.
TAF6-like RNA polymerase II p300/CBP-associated factor-associated factor 65 kDa subunit 6L is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the TAF6L gene.
General transcription factor IIF subunit 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GTF2F1 gene.
Mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 26 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MED26 gene. It forms part of the Mediator complex.
The transactivation domain or trans-activating domain (TAD) is a transcription factor scaffold domain which contains binding sites for other proteins such as transcription coregulators. These binding sites are frequently referred to as activation functions (AFs). TADs are named after their amino acid composition. These amino acids are either essential for the activity or simply the most abundant in the TAD. Transactivation by the Gal4 transcription factor is mediated by acidic amino acids, whereas hydrophobic residues in Gcn4 play a similar role. Hence, the TADs in Gal4 and Gcn4 are referred to as acidic or hydrophobic, respectively.