Richard H. Ebright

Richard High Ebright is an American molecular biologist. He is Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University and Laboratory Director at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology.[1][2]

Early life and education

Ebright received an A.B. summa cum laude in biology from Harvard University in 1981 and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University in 1987. He was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows from 1984 to 1987.

Career

Ebright was appointed as a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Rutgers University and as a Laboratory Director at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology in 1987. He was co-appointed as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 1997 to 2013.

Ebright has performed research on protein-DNA interaction,[3] transcription initiation,[4][5][6] transcription activation,[7] and antibacterial drug discovery.[8][9] Ebright's research results include the experimental demonstration that amino-acid-base contacts mediate DNA sequence recognition in protein–DNA interaction,[3] the determination of the three-dimensional structural organization of the transcription initiation complex;[4] the demonstration that initial transcription involves a "DNA scrunching" mechanism;[5][6] the demonstration that transcription activation can proceed by a "recruitment" mechanism;[7] and the identification of novel antibacterial drug targets in bacterial RNA polymerase.[8][9]

In 1994 Ebright was awarded the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Schering-Plough Award for his research on transcription activation.[10] In 1995 he received the Academic Press Walter J. Johnson Prize.[11] In 2013 he received a National Institutes of Health MERIT Award.[12] He was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 1996,[13] the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004,[14] the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 2011,[15] and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.[16]

Ebright has opposed the proliferation of laboratories working on biological weapons agents[17] and has supported the strengthening of biosafety and biosecurity measures to reduce risks of release of biological weapons.[18]

Notable publications

References

  1. ↑ "Ebright, Richard H.". Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Dr. Richard H. Ebright". Waksman Institute, Rutgers University. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Ebright, R. H.; Cossart, P.; Gicquel-Sanzey, B.; Beckwith, J. (1984). "Mutations that alter the DNA sequence specificity of the catabolite gene activator protein of E. coli". Nature 311 (5983): 232–235. doi:10.1038/311232a0. PMID 6090927.
  4. 1 2 Zhang, Y.; Feng, Y.; Chatterjee, S.; Tuske, S.; Ho, M. X.; Arnold, E.; Ebright, R. H. (2012). "Structural Basis of Transcription Initiation". Science 338 (6110): 1076–80. doi:10.1126/science.1227786. PMC: 3593053. PMID 23086998.
  5. 1 2 Kapanidis, A. N.; Margeat, E.; Ho, S. O.; Kortkhonjia, E.; Weiss, S.; Ebright, R. H. (2006). "Initial transcription by RNA polymerase proceeds through a DNA-scrunching mechanism". Science 314: 1144–1147. doi:10.1126/science.1131399. PMC: 2754788. PMID 17110578.
  6. 1 2 Revyakin, A.; Liu, C.; Ebright, R. H.; Strick, T. (2006). "Abortive initiation and productive initiation by RNA polymerase involve DNA scrunching". Science 314 (5802): 1139–1143. doi:10.1126/science.1131398. PMC: 2754787. PMID 17110577.
  7. 1 2 Benoff, B.; Yang, H.; Lawson, C. L.; Parkinson, G.; Liu, J.; Blatter, E.; Ebright, Y. W.; Berman, H. M.; Arnold, E.; Ebright, R. H. (2002). "Structural basis of transcription activation: the CAP-alphaCTD-DNA complex". Science 297 (5586): 1562–1566. doi:10.1126/science.1076376. PMID 12202833.
  8. 1 2 Mukhopadhyay, J.; Das, K.; Ismail, S.; Koppstein, D.; Jang, M.; Hudson, B.; Sarafianos, S.; Tuske, S.; Patel, J., Jansen, R., Irschik, H., Arnold, E., Ebright, R. H. (2008). "The RNA polymerase "switch region" is a target for inhibitors". Cell 135 (2): 295–307. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2008.09.033. PMC: 2580802. PMID 18957204.
  9. 1 2 Zhang, Y.; Degen, D.; Ho, M. X.; Sineva, E.; Ebright, K.; Ebright, Y. W.; Mekler, V.; Vahedian-Movahed, H.; Feng, Y.; Yin, R.; Tuske, S.; Irschik, H.; Jansen, R.; Maffioli, S.; Donadio, S.; Arnold, E.; Ebright, R. H. (2014). "GE23077 binds to the RNA polymerase 'i' and 'i+1' sites and prevents the binding of initiating nucleotides". eLife 3: e02450. doi:10.7554/eLife.02450. PMC: 3994528. PMID 24755292.
  10. ↑ "ASBMB/Schering-Plough Research Institute Award". Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  11. ↑ "The Walter J. Johnson Prize, 1995". Journal of Molecular Biology 251 (3): 329. 1995. PMID 7650734.
  12. ↑ "Gifts & Grants". Rutgers University Faculty and Staff Bulletin. June 12, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  13. ↑ "American Academy of Microbiology Fellowship Directory". Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  14. ↑ "AAAS Council Honors 308 Members for Their Contributions to Science" (Press release). AAAS. November 1, 2004. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Congratulations, New IDSA Fellows!". IDSA News. July–August 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  16. ↑ "American Academy of Arts and Sciences Elects 213 National and International Scholars, Artists, Philanthropists, and Business and Civic Leaders" (Press release). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  17. ↑ Connell, N.; Ebright, R. H. (2002). "Bioweapon agents: more access means more risk". Nature 415 (7381): 364. doi:10.1038/415364b. PMID 22246325.
  18. ↑ Ebright, R. H. (2012). "Mitigate the risks of release". Nature 481: 257–259. doi:10.1038/481257a. PMID 11807521.

External links

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