AT BERKELEY MCB SPRING 1998 Newsletter for Members and Alumni of the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate Admissions Committee, under the We were all greatly saddened by the loss Message from academic and administrative leadership of of our dear friend and colleague, Marian David Drubin and Eileen Bell, has enrolled a Koshland (see page 4-5). Marian represented new class of 45 students, 10 of whom have the best of citizenship and scholarship here at the Chair independent fellowships (NSF, HHMI, Cal and in the larger academic arena. She DOD, and University). Congratulations to continued to teach, supervise research, and I hope you enjoy our inaugural edition of the the faculty and student members of the serve as Head of the Graduate Affairs Unit MCB at Berkeley Newsletter. MCB was born Graduate Admissions Committee and the even as she labored in declining health. I must almost ten years ago, and we have grown to Graduate Affairs Unit staff for another out- recount a personal anecdote concerning my such an extent that I felt it was necessary to standing year. Although it is premature to initial encounter with Marian. The Koshland’s create a vehicle of communication connecting make a public announcement, we have every invited me to a party at their home shortly the Divisions of our far-flung enterprise. In indication that our faculty recruitment for after I arrived in Berkeley in 1976. The addition, we have trained a generation of stu- 1998-99 will also be a smash- Biochemistry Department had dents and fellows who have gone on to their ing success. As of this writ- just returned from its annual own careers and who may be interested in the ing, it appears that we will Asilomar retreat where Dan current affairs of our Department. We intend secure 4 or 5 new faculty, and I had enjoyed our first to publish the Newsletter once a semester to each one the top choice of encounter of the humorous provide a survey of the Department’s student the relevant faculty search kind on stage in front of our and faculty research and training activities that committees. Our success in colleagues. Marian’s first words have made this Department the largest acade- recruiting comes, in part, to me were: “Dan tells me mic unit on campus. This first issue covers the from the enthusiasm we you’re funny; OK, Schekman, news from the 1997-98 academic year. communicate to our prospec- make me laugh!” I knew from Among the highlights of the year are the tive students and faculty. that moment that Marian significant honors and achievements that our Thanks to all who have would expect nothing less than students and faculty have garnered (see pages pitched in. precision in my science and 9-12). Also, MCB is expanding its interactions I particularly wish to acknowledge my my humor! We remember her fondly, and with other departments on campus. Two of predecessors, Co-Chairs John Gerhart and applaud the decision of our campus adminis- the new MCB faculty have joint appointments Alex Glazer and before them Gunther Stent, tration to rename the Bioscience and Natural (see pages 2-3), and MCB is leading the effort who led the Department through the worst Resources Library in her honor. to establish a Center for Neuroscience which days of the California recession. Each year Finally, I want to thank Laura Williams, will unite faculty from various departments of their term brought a shrinking state budget our Newsletter editor. Laura is a PhD graduate (see page 8). and a declining faculty census brought of ours from the Kane/Chamberlin lab who We have had a tremendous year recruit- about by early retirements. In spite of these has decided to make a career in scientific ing graduate students and new faculty. Our limiting financial and personnel resources, publishing. Laura gained experience as the they managed to staff courses and provide editor of the Women in Cell Biology column administrative services for an increased under- in the American Society for Cell Biology graduate enrollment and for an expanding Newsletter. I am certain that her efforts here MCB at Berkeley is a publication of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology effort to secure extramural support. Now will set high standards for future MCB at at the University of California, Berkeley. that the recession is over and the State and Berkeley Newsletters. EDITOR: Laura Williams the University are being more generous with Have a good summer. DESIGN: Betsy Joyce resources, I look back with respect at the Send comments and questions to ability of John, Alex, and Gunther not only RANDY SCHEKMAN [email protected] (e-mail) to keep us afloat, but to allow us to prosper as MCB Co-Chair a department. NEW FACULTY Rebecca Heald, CDB Rebecca Heald became an Assistant the assembly of bipolar mitotic Professor of Molecular and Cell spindles in Xenopus egg James Berger, BMB Biology in July, 1997. extracts. These results showed that spindle assembly can James Berger will join the Future Projects at Berkeley: Education: occur in the absence of centro- Biochemistry and Molecular My lab will continue in these • B.A. in Chemistry, 1985, somes or kinetochores. I also Biology Division as an Assistant areas, studying the structure Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. showed that spindle pole for- Professor on July 1, 1998. He and function of enzymes and • Ph.D., 1993, Harvard Medical mation was dependent on the is currently a Fellow at the enzyme complexes involved in School, Thesis Advisor: Frank microtubule-based motor, Whitehead Institute at MIT. replication and chromosome McKeon. cytoplasmic dynein, both in structure. • Thesis project: I identified phos- the presence and absence of Education: phorylation sites in the nuclear centrosomes, but that centro- • B.S. in Biology, 1990, Why are you excited about lamin proteins that when somes, when present, consti- University of Utah. working at Berkeley? Berkeley mutated prevent nuclear lamina tute dominant sites for spindle • Ph.D., 1995, Harvard offers the opportunity to inter- breakdown in mitosis. These pole assembly. University, Thesis Advisors: act with students and faculty results showed that phosphory- James C. Wang and Stephen in numerous and diverse areas lation just outside of the large Current Projects: I am follow- C. Harrison. of science, all within an envi- coiled-coil domain controls the ing up on my postdoctoral • Thesis Project: My thesis ronment known for scientific assembly dynamics of these project to study mitotic spindle involved using X-ray crystal- excellence. intermediate filament-type pro- assembly. We would like to lography to determine the teins. I also showed that overex- identify proteins on mitotic three-dimensional structure What is the most rewarding pression of positive cell cycle chromatin that stabilize micro- of a type II DNA topoiso- achievement in your career regulatory proteins could cause tubules. We would also like to merase, an enzyme that so far? Determining the struc- premature entry into mitosis in reconstitute kinetochore func- untangles and unknots DNA ture of a protein. The process the absence of complete DNA tion on beads. in the cell. The structure is similar to building a jigsaw replication and that this could provided a molecular model puzzle in three dimensions, be rescued by overexpression of Why are you excited to be for demonstrating how the and it yields a vast amount of a negative regulator. These working at Berkeley? enzyme can physically trans- biochemical information about results showed that cell cycle There are so many interesting port one DNA through a protein’s function in a short progression in vertebrate cells is people and projects; the place is another. time. regulated by a balance between both diverse and friendly. positive and negative regulators, Current Project: While a Personal information: just as in yeast. What is the most rewarding Fellow at the Whitehead Married to Marian Feldman achievement in your career Institute, the focus of my who will graduate this June Postdoc: so far? It has been extremely work has been to understand with a Ph.D. in Art History • 1993-97, European Molecular rewarding to get the lab started the structural basis by which from Harvard. Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and to have students to interact proteins convert cellular ener- Heidelberg, Germany, with and to teach. gy into motion and work. In American Cancer Society particular, we study enzymes Postdoctoral Fellowship, Personal information: I enjoy that unwind, move, and Advisor: Eric Karsenti. bicycling, reading, and music. manipulate DNA and RNA in • Project: I developed a system in the cell. which plasmid DNA-coated beads were sufficient to induce 2 Carlos Bustamante, BMB Carlos Bustamante will begin a joint appointment as a Professor of Dan Portnoy, BMB Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Physics on July 1, 1998. He is currently a Professor at the Current Projects: I started University of Oregon where he has working on the intracellular been since 1991. From 1982 to bacterial pathogen Listeria Dan Portnoy is a Professor of 1990, he was on the faculty of the monocytogenes in 1986 after my University of New Mexico. first time, the potential energy Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, postdoc, and I have been ever function of globular proteins. In and he has a joint appointment since. I view L. monocytogenes as Education: addition, we will be investigating with the School of Public Health. In the bacteriophage Lambda of the behavior of DNA and RNA July, 1997, he moved his lab from • B.S. in Biology, 1973, intracellular pathogens. We are Universidad Peruana Cayetano polymerases as molecular motors the University of Pennsylvania analyzing every detail of the by using laser tweezers.