Susan A. Martinis

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Susan A. Martinis is an American biochemist. She has co-authored over 57 publications in peer reviewed journals [1] and scientific book chapters. Her expertise is in protein:RNA interactions and aminoacyl tRNA synthetases. [2] As of 2019, she is the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. [3]

Contents

Scientific contributions

Martinis' research focuses on mechanisms, evolution, and biomedical applications of protein synthesis and RNA-protein interactions. In over 25 years of study on aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, in particular leucyl-tRNA synthetase, Martinis has made significant contributions in understanding quality control mechanisms, tRNA recognition, and a non-canonical role in mitochondrial group I intron splicing. She has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, W.M. Keck Foundation, the Human Frontier Science Program, The Robert A. Welch Foundation, and the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund. She currently leads a W.M. Keck Foundation-supported team of six research laboratories at the University of Illinois to discover and characterize non-canonical activities of as many as twenty splice variants of mammalian leucyl-tRNA synthetases. [4] This team includes researchers with expertise covering structural, and computational biology, as well as biochemistry. She was recently named interim vice chancellor for research designate at the University of Illinois. [5]

Personal history

Martinis was born in 1963 to Anne Irene Martinis, [6] a school principal, and Paul Vincent Martinis, a commercial fisherman who came from a long line of fisherman from Yugoslavia. Martinis was raised in Everett, Washington with her two sisters, attended Catholic schools and played on school basketball teams. During her high school and college years she worked summers as the cook on her father's fishing boat off the coast of Alaska. Upon enrollment at Washington State University, she pledged Kappa Delta Sorority where she served as local chapter president. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Washington State University in 1985.

In 1985, Martinis enrolled in graduate school at the University of Illinois in the Department of Biochemistry which was at that time in the School of Chemical Sciences. Stephen G. Sligar was her mentor and she received her Ph.D. in 1990. Martinis met her husband, Steven Blanke, in graduate school at the University of Illinois. They were married in Everett, Washington in 1992 and have three children.

Martinis was awarded an American Cancer Fellowship to perform postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Paul Schimmel at MIT. In 1992 she took a research position in the biotechnology industry at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where she was awarded the first US patent and NIH SBIR [7] grant for the company. In 1995 she moved back to academia, taking a position as an assistant professor at the University of Houston. After receiving teaching awards [8] and tenure at the University of Houston, she was recruited to a tenure position at her alma mater, the University of Illinois. Martinis became head of the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry at the University of Illinois and has served as interim associate dean for the sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois (2014–15) before being named interim Vice chancellor for Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017. She was named Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation in 2019. [3]

Education

Scientific positions

After completing her Ph.D., Martinis was a Postdoctoral Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Professor Paul Schimmel (1990–92). She then went on to be one of the first research scientists hired at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company founded by Schimmel and Julius Rebek. She worked there from 1993 to 1995 before returning to academic research, starting as a Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, 1996–1997. She was promoted to Assistant Professor, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston in 1997 and Associate Professor, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston in 2005. At that point she became an Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois and a full tenured professor in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois in 2009. She also served as Head, Departments of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Illinois from 2009-2013 and 2014-2018 serving as Interim Associate Dean for the Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois 2013. In 2015 she was named the Stephen G. Sligar Professor in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology Professor and has joint positions in the Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Illinois. [10] In 2019, Martinis was named Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation at the University of Illinois. [3]

Awards and honors

Professional activities

Representative publications

[15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aminoacyl tRNA synthetase</span> Class of enzymes

An aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, also called tRNA-ligase, is an enzyme that attaches the appropriate amino acid onto its corresponding tRNA. It does so by catalyzing the transesterification of a specific cognate amino acid or its precursor to one of all its compatible cognate tRNAs to form an aminoacyl-tRNA. In humans, the 20 different types of aa-tRNA are made by the 20 different aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, one for each amino acid of the genetic code.

In molecular biology, biosynthesis is a multi-step, enzyme-catalyzed process where substrates are converted into more complex products in living organisms. In biosynthesis, simple compounds are modified, converted into other compounds, or joined to form macromolecules. This process often consists of metabolic pathways. Some of these biosynthetic pathways are located within a single cellular organelle, while others involve enzymes that are located within multiple cellular organelles. Examples of these biosynthetic pathways include the production of lipid membrane components and nucleotides. Biosynthesis is usually synonymous with anabolism.

Activation, in chemistry and biology, is the process whereby something is prepared or excited for a subsequent reaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aminoacyl-tRNA</span>

Aminoacyl-tRNA is tRNA to which its cognate amino acid is chemically bonded (charged). The aa-tRNA, along with particular elongation factors, deliver the amino acid to the ribosome for incorporation into the polypeptide chain that is being produced during translation.

In enzymology, an isoleucine—tRNA ligase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

In enzymology, a leucine—tRNA ligase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methionine—tRNA ligase</span>

In enzymology, a methionine—tRNA ligase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

Tyrosine—tRNA ligase, also known as tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase is an enzyme that is encoded by the gene YARS. Tyrosine—tRNA ligase catalyzes the chemical reaction

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KARS (gene)</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Lysyl-tRNA synthetase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the KARS gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RARS (gene)</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Arginyl-tRNA synthetase, cytoplasmic is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the RARS gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leucyl-tRNA synthetase</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Leucyl-tRNA synthetase, cytoplasmic is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the LARS gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QARS</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the QARS gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LARS2</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Probable leucyl-tRNA synthetase, mitochondrial is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the LARS2 gene.

Amino acid activation refers to the attachment of an amino acid to its respective transfer RNA (tRNA). The reaction occurs in the cell cytosol and consists of two steps: first, the enzyme aminoacyl tRNA synthetase catalyzes the binding of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to a corresponding amino acid, forming a reactive aminoacyl adenylate intermediate and releasing inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi). Subsequently, aminoacyl tRNA synthetase binds the AMP-amino acid to a tRNA molecule, releasing AMP and attaching the amino acid to the tRNA. The resulting aminoacyl-tRNA is said to be charged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Schimmel</span> American chemist

Paul Reinhard Schimmel is an American biophysical chemist and translational medicine pioneer.

Dr. Kim Sunghoon is a South Korean biologist.

Brian Selby Hartley FRS was a British biochemist. He was Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London from 1974 to 1991.

Wang Enduo, also known as En-duo Wang, is a Chinese biochemist and molecular biologist, and a professor at the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Recognized for her research on interaction between transfer RNAs (tRNA) and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS), she has been elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and of The World Academy of Sciences.

Karin Musier-Forsyth, an American biochemist, is an Ohio Eminent Scholar on the faculty of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Ohio State University. Musier-Forsyth's research involves biochemical, biophysical and cell-based approaches to understand the interactions of proteins and RNAs involved in protein synthesis and viral replication, especially in HIV.

Xiang-Lei Yang (杨湘磊) is a Chinese-born American molecular biologist. She is a professor at The Scripps Research Institute, located in La Jolla, California. Her work has contributed to the establishment of physiological importance of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases beyond their classical role in supporting mRNA translation and their disordered processes that contribute to disease. She founded the Translation Machinery in Health and Disease Gordon Research Conference, an ongoing biannual international conference since 2015. She helped co-found aTyr Pharma, a Nasdaq-listed biotechnology company.

References

  1. ↑ "Pubmed citations for Susan. A. Martinis".
  2. ↑ "Enduring Legacy of Sol Spiegelman".
  3. 1 2 3 Vance, Allison (November 7, 2019). "Martinis named vice chancellor for research and innovation". Illinois News Bureau. University of Illinois. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  4. ↑ "W. M. Keck Foundation Medical Research Grants 2014".
  5. ↑ Urbana-Champaign, ATLAS, LAS, University of Illinois at. "Head of biochemistry named interim vice chancellor for research designate" . Retrieved 2017-09-30.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Obituary for Anne Irene Martinis". Legacy.com .
  7. ↑ "NIH SBIR awards to Cubist Pharmaceuticals".
  8. 1 2 "University of Houston Faculty Awards".
  9. 1 2 "University of Illinois Faculty Profile".
  10. ↑ "University of Illinois School of Molecular and Cellular Biology Faculty Directory".
  11. ↑ "IAS Distinguished Lecture". Facebook .
  12. ↑ "University of Illinois School of Molecular and Cellular Biology highlights".
  13. ↑ "The Enduring Legacy of Sol Spiegelman".
  14. 1 2 3 "AMGDB Board of Directors".
  15. ↑ "Pubmed list of papers with Susan A. Martinis as author".
  16. ↑ Boniecki, Michal T.; Martinis, Susan A. (2012-03-30). "Coordination of tRNA synthetase active sites for chemical fidelity". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 287 (14): 11285–11289. doi: 10.1074/jbc.C111.325795 . ISSN   1083-351X. PMC   3322855 . PMID   22334703.
  17. 1 2 Sarkar, Jaya; Martinis, Susan A. (2011-11-23). "Amino-acid-dependent shift in tRNA synthetase editing mechanisms". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 133 (46): 18510–18513. doi:10.1021/ja2048122. ISSN   1520-5126. PMC   3242442 . PMID   22017352.
  18. ↑ Palencia, Andrés; Crépin, Thibaut; Vu, Michael T.; Lincecum, Tommie L.; Martinis, Susan A.; Cusack, Stephen (2012-06-10). "Structural dynamics of the aminoacylation and proofreading functional cycle of bacterial leucyl-tRNA synthetase". Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 19 (7): 677–684. doi:10.1038/nsmb.2317. ISSN   1545-9985. PMC   3392462 . PMID   22683997.
  19. ↑ Li, Li; Boniecki, Michal T.; Jaffe, Jacob D.; Imai, Brian S.; Yau, Peter M.; Luthey-Schulten, Zaida A.; Martinis, Susan A. (2011-06-07). "Naturally occurring aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases editing-domain mutations that cause mistranslation in Mycoplasma parasites". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 108 (23): 9378–9383. Bibcode:2011PNAS..108.9378L. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1016460108 . ISSN   1091-6490. PMC   3111296 . PMID   21606343.
  20. ↑ Sarkar, Jaya; Mao, Weimin; Lincecum, Tommie L.; Alley, M. R. K.; Martinis, Susan A. (2011-10-03). "Characterization of benzoxaborole-based antifungal resistance mutations demonstrates that editing depends on electrostatic stabilization of the leucyl-tRNA synthetase editing cap". FEBS Letters. 585 (19): 2986–2991. doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2011.08.010. ISSN   1873-3468. PMC   3225056 . PMID   21856301.
  21. ↑ Hellmann, Rachel A.; Martinis, Susan A. (2009-04-24). "Defects in transient tRNA translocation bypass tRNA synthetase quality control mechanisms". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 284 (17): 11478–11484. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M807395200 . ISSN   0021-9258. PMC   2670153 . PMID   19258309.
  22. ↑ Boniecki, Michal T.; Rho, Seung Bae; Tukalo, Mikhail; Hsu, Jennifer L.; Romero, Eliana P.; Martinis, Susan A. (2009-09-25). "Leucyl-tRNA synthetase-dependent and -independent activation of a group I intron". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 284 (39): 26243–26250. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M109.031179 . ISSN   1083-351X. PMC   2785312 . PMID   19622748.
  23. ↑ Pang, Yan Ling Joy; Martinis, Susan A. (2009-09-29). "A paradigm shift for the amino acid editing mechanism of human cytoplasmic leucyl-tRNA synthetase". Biochemistry. 48 (38): 8958–8964. doi:10.1021/bi901111y. ISSN   1520-4995. PMC   2871737 . PMID   19702327.
  24. ↑ Mascarenhas, Anjali P.; Martinis, Susan A. (2009-11-03). "A glycine hinge for tRNA-dependent translocation of editing substrates to prevent errors by leucyl-tRNA synthetase". FEBS Letters. 583 (21): 3443–3447. doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2009.09.039. ISSN   1873-3468. PMC   2807821 . PMID   19796639.
  25. ↑ Martinis, Susan A.; Boniecki, Michal T. (2010-01-21). "The balance between pre- and post-transfer editing in tRNA synthetases". FEBS Letters. 584 (2): 455–459. doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2009.11.071. ISSN   1873-3468. PMC   2859721 . PMID   19941860.
  26. ↑ Boniecki, Michal T.; Vu, Michael T.; Betha, Aswini K.; Martinis, Susan A. (2008-12-09). "CP1-dependent partitioning of pretransfer and posttransfer editing in leucyl-tRNA synthetase". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105 (49): 19223–19228. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0809336105 . ISSN   1091-6490. PMC   2614743 . PMID   19020078.
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