David L. Spector Explained

David L. Spector
Birth Date:6 December 1952
Birth Place:New York City, New York
Fields:Cell biology, Molecular biology
Workplaces:Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Alma Mater:City College of New York, Herbert H. Lehman College, Rutgers University
Awards:
  • Alumni Achievement Award, Herbert H. Lehman College, New York
  • Elected Member, American Academy of Arts & Sciences
  • Elected Associate Foreign Member, European Molecular Biology Organization[1]
  • Rutgers 250 Fellow

David L. Spector (born 6 December 1952) is a cell and molecular biologist best recognized for his research on gene expression and nuclear dynamics.[2] He is currently a Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). From 2007 to 2023, he served as Director of Research of CSHL.

Education and faculty positions

Spector was born in New York City. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from City College of New York in 1973, a master's degree from Herbert H. Lehman College in 1977, and a Ph.D.in cell biology from Rutgers University in 1980. After completing his Ph.D. he accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. In 1985 he relocated to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and has been promoted through the ranks to his current position of Professor. In 2007 he was appointed Director of Research.

Professional activities

Spector is a pioneer in unraveling our understanding of the inner workings of the cell nucleus.[3] His early investigations centered on the unusual chromosome structure of dinoflagellates.[4] Recent studies in his laboratory are focused on examining the organization and regulation of gene expression in living mammalian cells. His laboratory has developed approaches to elucidate the spatial and temporal aspects of gene expression and in identifying and characterizing the function of nuclear retained long non-coding RNAs.

His most seminal research accomplishments include the direct visualization in living cells of the recruitment of factors involved in gene expression to active genes;[5] the development of a biochemical fractionation approach to purify a sub-nuclear domain (nuclear speckles) and characterize its protein constituents;[6] [7] the development of a live cell imaging system to visualize a stably integrated genetic locus and follow in real-time its mRNA and protein products;[8] [9] [10] the elucidation of a rapid-response mechanism of regulating gene expression through RNA nuclear retention;[11] identification of a mechanism by which a single genetic locus can produce a long nuclear retained non-coding RNA and a small cytoplasmic tRNA-like transcript,[12] the identification and characterization of a long nuclear retained non-coding RNA that is involved in organizing a sub-nuclear organelle (paraspeckles),[13] [14] and determining that knockout or knockdown of the lncRNA Malat1 results in the differentiation of mammary tumors and a significant reduction in metastasis.[15]

In addition, Spector has co-edited numerous microscopy techniques manuals (i.e. Basic Methods in Microscopy,[16] Live Cell Imaging: A Laboratory Manual[17]), and a treatise of The Nucleus,[18] that are used in laboratories throughout the world.

Honors and awards

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: European Molecular Biology Organization.
  2. Web site: Model of the Mammalian Cell Nucleus . Spector Lab . 2012-08-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120302003055/http://spectorlab.cshl.edu/domains.html . 2012-03-02 .
  3. Web site: Spector, David L. Publications - CSHL Scientific Digital Repository.
  4. Book: Spector DL . Dinoflagellates . Academic Press . Boston . 1984 . 545 . 978-0-12-656520-1 .
  5. Misteli T, Cáceres JF, Spector DL . The dynamics of a pre-mRNA splicing factor in living cells . Nature . 387 . 6632 . 523–7 . May 1997 . 9168118 . 10.1038/387523a0 .
  6. Mintz PJ, Patterson SD, Neuwald AF, Spahr CS, Spector DL . Purification and biochemical characterization of interchromatin granule clusters . EMBO J. . 18 . 15 . 4308–20 . August 1999 . 10428969 . 1171507 . 10.1093/emboj/18.15.4308 .
  7. Saitoh N, Spahr CS, Patterson SD, Bubulya P, Neuwald AF, Spector DL . Proteomic analysis of interchromatin granule clusters . Mol. Biol. Cell . 15 . 8 . 3876–90 . August 2004 . 15169873 . 491843 . 10.1091/mbc.E04-03-0253 .
  8. Tsukamoto T, Hashiguchi N, Janicki SM, Tumbar T, Belmont AS, Spector DL . Visualization of gene activity in living cells . Nat. Cell Biol. . 2 . 12 . 871–8 . December 2000 . 11146650 . 10.1038/35046510 .
  9. Janicki SM, Tsukamoto T, Salghetti SE, Tansey WP, Sachidanandam R, Prasanth KV, Ried T, Shav-Tal Y, Bertrand E, Singer RH, Spector DL . From silencing to gene expression: real-time analysis in single cells . Cell . 116 . 5 . 683–98 . March 2004 . 15006351 . 4942132 . 10.1016/S0092-8674(04)00171-0 .
  10. Zhao R, Nakamura T, Fu Y, Lazar Z, Spector DL . Gene bookmarking accelerates the kinetics of post-mitotic transcriptional re-activation . Nat. Cell Biol. . 13 . 11 . 1295–304 . November 2011 . 21983563 . 3210065 . 10.1038/ncb2341 .
  11. Prasanth KV, Prasanth SG, Xuan Z, Hearn S, Freier SM, Bennett CF, Zhang MQ, Spector DL . Regulating gene expression through RNA nuclear retention . Cell . 123 . 2 . 249–63 . October 2005 . 16239143 . 10.1016/j.cell.2005.08.033 . free .
  12. Wilusz JE, Freier SM, Spector DL . 3' end processing of a long nuclear-retained noncoding RNA yields a tRNA-like cytoplasmic RNA . Cell . 135 . 5 . 919–32 . November 2008 . 19041754 . 2722846 . 10.1016/j.cell.2008.10.012 .
  13. Sunwoo H, Dinger ME, Wilusz JE, Amaral PP, Mattick JS, Spector DL . MEN epsilon/beta nuclear-retained non-coding RNAs are up-regulated upon muscle differentiation and are essential components of paraspeckles . Genome Res. . 19 . 3 . 347–59 . March 2009 . 19106332 . 2661813 . 10.1101/gr.087775.108 .
  14. Mao YS, Sunwoo H, Zhang B, Spector DL . Direct visualization of the co-transcriptional assembly of a nuclear body by noncoding RNAs . Nat. Cell Biol. . 13 . 1 . 95–101 . January 2011 . 21170033 . 3007124 . 10.1038/ncb2140 .
  15. Arun. G.. Diermeier. S.. Ackerman. M.. Chang. K.-C.. Wilkinson. J.E.. Hearn. S.. Kim. Y.. MacLeod. A.R.. Krainer. A.R.. Norton. L.. Brogi. E.. Egeblad. M.. Spector. D.L.. Differentiation of mammary tumors and reduction in metastasis upon Malat1 lncRNA loss.. Genes Dev. 30. 1. 34–51. 10.1101/gad.270959.115. 26701265. 4701977. 2016.
  16. Book: Goldman RD, Spector DL . Basic methods in microscopy: protocols and concepts from cells: a laboratory manual . Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press . Plainview, N.Y . 2006 . 978-0-87969-751-8.
  17. Book: Spector DL, Goldman RD, Swedlow JR . Live Cell Imaging: A Laboratory Manual . Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press . Plainview, N.Y . 2009 . 978-0-87969-893-5 . 2nd .
  18. Book: Spector DL, Misteli T . The Nucleus (Perspectives in Biology) . Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press . Plainview, N.Y . 2010 . 978-0-87969-894-2 .
  19. Web site: CEO of PepsiCo Americas Beverages Addresses More Than 2,600 Graduates at Commencement Exercises . Lehman College website . Lehman College . May 31, 2012 . 3 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120618235107/http://wp.lehman.edu/lehman-today/2012/05/ceo-of-pepsico-americas-beverages-addresses-more-than-2600-graduates-at-commencement-exercises/ . 18 June 2012 . dead .

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