- Susan Lindquist
Infobox Scientist
name = Susan Lindquist
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caption = Susan Lindquist
birth_date =5 June 1949
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nationality =United States
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field = molecular biologist
work_institutions =Whitehead Institute MIT
alma_mater =Harvard University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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known_for =protein folding heat-shock protein sprion s
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prizes =Genetics Society of America Medal, 2008
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footnotes =Susan Lindquist (born
5 June 1949 ) is a well-known molecular biologist studying (among other things) the biology ofprotein folding ,heat-shock protein s, andprion s. Lindquist is a member and former Director of theWhitehead Institute .Lindquist's science
Lindquist is best known for her research that provided strong evidence for a new paradigm in
genetics based upon the inheritance ofprotein s with new, self-perpetuating shapes rather than newDNA sequence s. This research provided a biochemical framework for understanding other mysteries inbiology , such asAlzheimer's disease andCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease . She is considered an expert in protein folding which, as explained by Lindquist in the following excerpt, is an ancient, fundamental problem in biology::"What do "mad cows", people with
neurodegenerative disease s, and an unusual type of inheritance inyeast have in common? They are all experiencing the consequences of misfolded proteins. ... In humans the consequences can be deadly, leading to such devastating illnesses as Alzheimer's Disease. In one case, the misfolded protein is not only deadly to the unfortunate individual in which it has appeared, but it can apparently be passed from one individual to another under special circumstances - producing infectious neurodegenerative diseases such as mad-cow disease incattle and Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease inhuman s.":--from "From Mad Cows to 'Psi-chotic' Yeast: A New Paradigm in Genetics," "NAS Distinguished Leaders in Science Lecture Series", 10 November 1999.
Lindquist worked on the PSI+ element in yeast (a
prion ) and how it can act as a switch that hides or reveals numerousmutation s throughout thegenome , thus acting as anevolutionary capacitor . She also proposed that aheat shock protein , hsp90, may act in the same way, normally preventing phenotypic consequences of genetic changes, but showing all changes at once when the HSP system is overloaded.Recently, Lindquist has made advances in
nanotechnology , researching organic fibers capable of self-organizing into structures smaller than manufactured materials. Her group also developed a yeast “living test tube” model to study protein folding transitions in neurodegenerative diseases and to test therapeutic strategies through high-throughput screening. She is a co-founder of FoldRx, a company developing drug therapies for diseases of protein misfolding and amyloidosis.In June 2006, Dr. Lindquist was the inaugural guest on the "Futures in Biotech" podcast on
Leo Laporte 'sTWiT network.Biography
Lindquist received her PhD in biology from Harvard in 1976, was the Albert D. Lasker Professor of Medical Sciences in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at the
University of Chicago , and is now a professor of biology at MIT, an Investigator of theHoward Hughes Medical Institute and a member of theWhitehead Institute for Biomedical Research .Lindquist is married to Edward Buckbee and has two college-age daughters.
ignificant Papers
* Dai C, Whitesell L, Rogers AB and Lindquist S, 2007. Heat-shock factor 1 is a powerful multifaceted modifier of carcinogenesis. "Cell", v. 130, pp. 1005-18.
* Cooper AA, Gitler AD, Cashikar A, Haynes CM, Hill KJ, Bhullar B, Liu K, Xu K, Strathearn KE, Liu F, Cao S, Caldwell KA, Caldwell GA, Marsischky G, Kolodner RD, LaBaer J, Rochet J-C, Bonini NM and Lindquist S, 2006. alpha-Synuclein Blocks ER-Golgi Traffic and Rab1 Rescues Neuron Loss in Parkinson’s Models. "Science", v. 313, pp. 324-28.
* Cowen LE and Lindquist SL, 2005. Hsp90 potentiates the rapid evolution of new traits: Drug resistance in diverse fungi. "Science", v. 309, pp. 2185-89.
* Krishnan R and Lindquist SL, 2005. Structural insights into a yeast prion illuminate nucleation and strain diversity. "Nature", v. 435, pp. 765-72.
* Si K, Lindquist S and Kandel ER, 2003. A Neuronal Isoform of the Aplysia CPEB Has Prion-Like Properties. "Cell", v. 115, pp. 879-91.
* Queitsch C, Sangster TA and Lindquist S, 2002. Hsp90 as a capacitor of phenotypic variation. "Nature", v.417, pp. 618-24.
* Serio TR, Cashikar AG, Kowal AS, Sawicki GJ, Moslehi JJ, Serpell L, Arnsdorf MF and Lindquist S, 2000. Nucleated Conformational Conversion and the Replication of Conformational Information by a Prion Determinant. "Science", v. 289, pp. 1317-21.
* Patino MM, Liu JJ, Glover JR and Lindquist S, 1996. Support for the prion hypothesis for inheritance of a phenotypic trait in yeast. "Science", v. 273, pp. 622-26.
* Lindquist S, 1981. Regulation of protein synthesis during heat shock. "Nature", v. 293, pp. 311-14.Awards
* Elected to the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1996.
* Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1997.
* Named a fellow of theAmerican Academy of Microbiology in 1997.
* NamedAlbert D. Lasker Professor of Medical Sciences in 1999.
* Received theNovartis /Drew Award in Biomedical Research in 2000.
* Served as director of theWhitehead Institute for Biomedical Research from 2001-2004.
* Received theDickson Prize in Medicine in 2002.
* Named one of the 50 most important women in science by "Discover" Magazine in 2002.
* Awarded theSigma Xi William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement in 2006.
* Elected to theInstitute of Medicine of the National Academies in 2006.
* Awarded theGenetics Society of America Medal in 2008 [cite journal
quotes = yes
last=Hopkins
first=Nancy
authorlink=
year=2008|month=Mar.
title=The 2008 Genetics Society of America Medal. Susan Lindquist
journal=Genetics
volume=178
issue=3
pages=1125–8
publisher = | location =
pmid = 18385104
doi = 10.1534/genetics.104.017834
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote = ] .
* Awarded the Otto Warburg Medal in 2008.References
External links
* [http://www.whitehead.mit.edu/research/faculty/lindquist.html Susan Lindquist Research Summary]
* [http://web.wi.mit.edu/lindquist/pub/ Lindquist Lab Website]
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