Robert G. Roeder

Robert G. Roeder (born June 3, 1942, in

Biography

Roeder was born in Boonville, Indiana, US in 1942. He received his B.A. summa cum laude in chemistry from

• 1969: As a graduate student at the University of Washington, Roeder discovers that three enzymes, called RNA polymerases, directly copy DNA to RNA in eukaryotic organisms ranging from yeast to mammals.^[1]
• 1971–1977: As a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, he goes on to show that these enzymes, referred to as Pol I, II and III, have complex subunit structures with both distinct and common polypeptides, recognize and copy distinct classes of genes, respectively, of large ribosomal RNAs, mRNA precursors, and transfer and 5S RNAs.^[3][4][5][6]
• 1977–1979: Roeder develops cell-free systems to better study transcription.^[7][8] Composed of the purified RNA polymerases and components extracted from cell nuclei, the systems allow researchers to recreate transcription in a test tube in a way that faithfully mimics the real process in cells.^[9][10]
• 1979–1980: The development of cell-free systems leads to the identification of complex sets of proteins called accessory factors that are essential for each individual RNA polymerase (e.g.,
  TFIIH for Pol II, and TFIIIB and TFIIIC for Pol III) to "read" specific target genes.^[11][12][13]
• 1980: Roeder identifies the first mammalian gene-specific activator, called
  TFIIIA.^[14]
  TFIIIA and similar proteins bind to specific DNA sequences and enhance the reading of corresponding target genes. Repressors perform the opposite task by inhibiting a gene's activity.
• 1990s: A decade of research culminates with the discovery of
  RNA polymerases and other components of the general transcription machinery.^[15][16]
• 1992: Roeder laboratory demonstrates that
  coactivators can be ubiquitous, monitoring many genes in a variety of cells, or specific to one particular cell type. Roeder and colleagues introduce the concept of cell specificity after they demonstrate that the coactivator OCA-B, the first cell-specific coactivator, discovered by Roeder in 1992, is unique to immune system B cells.^[17]
• 1996: Roeder's laboratory discovers the major conduit for communication between gene-specific activators and the general transcription machinery in animal cells: a giant coactivator (TRAP/SMCC) that consists of about 25 different protein chains and is referred to as the human mediator after its counterpart in yeast.^[18]
• 2002: Roeder and colleagues show that a single component of the mediator is essential for the formation of fat cells — a finding that may one day contribute to new treatments for diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other conditions in which the fat-making process breaks down.^[19]

Highly cited papers

1. Dignam, J. D.; Lebovitz, R. M.; Roeder, R. G. (March 11, 1983). "Accurate transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II in a soluble extract from isolated mammalian nuclei". Nucleic Acids Research. 11 (5). Oxford University Press (OUP): 1475–1489.
   PMID 6828386
   . Times Cited: 12,743
2. Gu, Wei; Roeder, Robert G (1997). "Activation of p53 Sequence-Specific DNA Binding by Acetylation of the p53 C-Terminal Domain". Cell. 90 (4). Elsevier BV: 595–606.
   S2CID 18434280
   . Times Cited: 3,236
3. Roeder, Robert G (1996). "The role of general initiation factors in transcription by RNA polymerase II". Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 21 (9). Elsevier BV: 327–335.
   PMID 8870495
   . Times Cited: 1,511
4. Sawadogo, M (1985). "Interaction of a gene-specific transcription factor with the adenovirus major late promoter upstream of the TATA box region". Cell. 43 (1). Elsevier BV: 165–175.
   S2CID 42562115
   .Times Cited: 1,377
5. Roeder, Robert G.; Rutter, William J. (1969). "Multiple Forms of DNA-dependent RNA Polymerase in Eukaryotic Organisms". Nature. 224 (5216). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 234–237.
   S2CID 4283528
   . Times Cited: 1,177

Prominent alumni of the Roeder Laboratory

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 (