Joan A. Steitz
Joan Steitz | |
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| Born | Joan Elaine Argetsinger January 26, 1941 Minneapolis, Minnesota, US |
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| Spouse | Thomas Steitz |
| Children | 1 |
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James D. Watson[4] | |
| Doctoral students | Sandra Wolin, Gia Voeltz |
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Joan Elaine Argetsinger Steitz (born January 26, 1941) is Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at
Lasker-Koshland Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science. The Lasker award is often referred to as the 'American Nobel' because 87 of the former recipients have gone on to win Nobel prizes.[10]
Early life and education
Steitz was born in
Northrop Collegiate School
for high school.
In 1963, Steitz received her
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 female medical doctors but not women scientists.Harvard's new program in biochemistry and molecular biology. There, she was the first female graduate student to join the laboratory of Nobel Laureate James Watson, with whom she first worked on bacteriophage RNA.[13]
Career
Steitz completed
ribosomes to produce proteins. In 1969 she published a seminal paper in Nature showing the nucleotide sequence of the binding start points.[14]
In 1970, Steitz joined the faculty at
Yale. In 1975, she published a research finding for which she is widely known, demonstrating that ribosomes use complementary base pairing to identify the start site on mRNA.[15][16]
In 1980, Steitz in collaboration with Michael Lerner published another critical paper, using immunoprecipitation with human antibodies from patients with autoimmunity to isolate and identify
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.[12]
Steitz later discovered another kind of snRNP particle, the
introns are not "junk DNA" as they had often been described. Her work helps explain the phenomenon of "alternative RNA splicing."[17][18] 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."[19]
Steitz's researchanti-nuclear antibodies against their own DNA, snRNPs, or ribosomes.[21]
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."[12]
Steitz has served in numerous professional capacities, including as scientific director of the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research (1991–2002) and as editorial board member of Genes & Development.
Personal life
Steitz (born Joan Argetsinger) married Thomas Steitz, also Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale and the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate, in 1966. They have one son, Jon.[22]
Awards and honors
- 2021 – Wolf Prize in Medicine.[23]
- 2020 – Microbiology Society Prize Medal by the Microbiology Society to those who have made an impact beyond microbiology.[24]
- 2018 – Lasker-Koshland Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science.[10]
- 2014 – Royal Society of London.[25]
- 2009 – Biochemical Society Jubilee Lecture Award.[26]
- 2011 – Columbia University Honorary Doctorate of Science].[27]
- 2008 – Albany Medical Center Prize (shared with Elizabeth Blackburn).[28]
- 2006 – Rosalind E. Franklin Award for Women in Science, National Cancer Institute.[29]
- 2006 – Gairdner Foundation International Award.[30]
- 2005 – E.B. Wilson Medal, American Society for Cell Biology.[31]
- 2004 – RNA Society Lifetime Achievement Award.[32]
- 2004 – The Caledonian Research Foundation (CRF) Prize Lectureship in Biomedical Sciences and Arts and Letters, Royal Society of Edinburgh.[33]
- 2003 – FASEB Excellence in Science Award.[34]
- 2002 – Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Basic Medical Science.[35]
- 2001 – L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science.[36]
- 1992 – Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[37]
- 1992 – Elected to the American Philosophical Society[38]
- 1989 – Warren Triennial Prize.[39]
- 1988 – Dickson Prize for Science.[40]
- 1986 – National Medal of Science, National Science Foundation.[2][41]
- 1983 – Member, National Academy of Sciences.[42]
- 1983 – Lee Howley, Sr. Award for Arthritis Research.[43]
- 1982 – NAS Award in Molecular Biology.[42]
- 1982 – American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[44]
- 1976 – Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry.[45]
- 1975 – Passano Foundation Young Scientist Award.[46]
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.[3]
References
- ^ Joan A. Steitz, Yale University, nasonline.org
- ^ a b "Joan A. Steitz (1941– )". National Medal of Science 50th Anniversary. National Science Foundation. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Professor Joan Steitz ForMemRS". London: The Royal Society. Archived from the original on 2014-12-20.
- PMID 21383073.
- ^ S2CID 4266714.
- S2CID 6173875.
- PMID 8341661.
- YouTube, iBioMagazine
- S2CID 46399783.
- ^ a b Thomas, Katie (11 September 2018). "Lasker Awards Given for Work in Genetics, Anesthesia and Promoting Women in Science". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
- ^ Steitz CV, Yale
- ^ a b c ASCB Profile: Joan Argetsinger Steitz, June 2006.
- ^ Margaret A. Woodbury, "Trailblazer Turned Superstar," Archived 2008-10-06 at the Wayback Machine HHMI Bulletin, Feb. 2006.
- S2CID 4179670.
- PMID 1107998.
- ^ Joan Steitz – Biography, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Digital archives
- ^ Thomas R. Cech and Joan A Steitz (2014) “The Noncoding RNA Revolution Trashing the Old Rules to Forge New Ones.” Cell 157 (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 Sciences 22(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.).
- ^ Joan Steitz publications in Google Scholar
- PMID 316537.
- ^ Gonzalez, Susan (June 29, 2011). "Yale pitcher is grabbed in draft's early rounds". Yale Bulletin & Calendar. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- ^ Wolf Prize in Medicine 2021
- ^ "Prize lecture winners 2021". The Microbiology Society. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ "Joan A. Steitz". Royal Society of London. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "Jubilee Lecture". The Biochemical Society. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ Honorary Degree Recipients for 2011 Announced Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, Columbia University
- ^ "Albany Medical Center Award". Albany Medical Center. May 2, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "Rosalind E. Franklin Award". National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "Joan A. Steitz". Gairdner Foundation. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "E. B. Wilson Medal". American Society for Cell Biology. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "August Newsletter of the RNA Society" (PDF). The RNA Society. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "Caledonian Research Fund Prize Lectureship". The Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "FASEB Excellence in Science Award" (PDF). Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award". Brandeis University. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "L'Oreal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science". L'Oreal. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "Warren Triennial Prize". Harvard University. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "Dickson Prize Past Winners". Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "National Medal of Science Recipient Details". National Science Foundation. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ a b "Joan A. Steitz". National Academy of Sciences members. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "Past Howley Prize Recipients". Arthritis.org. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "Joan A. Steitz". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "Lilly Awardees" (PDF). ACS Biological Chemistry Division. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "Services (Young Scientist Award)". Passano Foundation. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
Further reading
Scholia has a profile for Joan A. Steitz (Q1690702).
- Maron, Dina Fine (2018-09-11). "RNA Expert Wins "American Nobel"". Scientific American. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
- Panek, Richard (July 2019). "Don't listen to the naysayers". Yale Alumni Magazine. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- Tanya Talaga, "Her work may lead to progress in diseases like lupus," Toronto Star (Ontario ed.), Oct. 26, 2006, p. A10.
- Steitz, "The Importance of Role Models to Girls' Educational Choices," April 6, 2006, L'Oréal Agora, available at https://web.archive.org/web/20070315011217/http://www.agora.forwomeninscience.com/education_of_girls_and_women/2006/04/the_importance_of_role_models.php
- Elga Wasserman, The Door in the Dream: Conversations with Eminent Women in Science (Joseph Henry Press: Washington, D.C., 2000), pp. 144–150.
- "RNA Interviews: Dr. Joan Steitz", Ambion TechNotes v. 10, n. 1 (March 2003) (available at https://web.archive.org/web/20061018162033/http://www.ambion.com/techlib/tn/101/5.html ).