Trisha Davis Explained

Trisha Nell Davis (born May 27, 1954) is an American biochemist and the former Earl Davie/ZymoGenetics Chair of the department of biochemistry at the University of Washington.[1] [2] Her early research focused on Calmodulin, though the primary focus of her lab has since shifted to the molecular machinery of cell division in budding yeast, especially the microtubule organizing centers and the kinetochores. She retired in 2024 after 11 years serving as the Chair.[3]

Background and education

Trisha Davis received her BA in Computer Science and Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1976. She received her Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in 1983. She joined the University of Washington Department of Biochemistry in 1997 and became acting chair of the department in 2011. In 2013, she became the first female chair of the Department.

Work and discoveries

Davis's post-doctoral research focused on Calmodulin in budding yeast [4] [5] After starting her own lab at the University of Washington, she discovered that Calmodulin performs an essential function in the yeast spindle pole body,[6] beginning the lab's gradual transition into the study of mitosis.

The Davis Lab has published extensively on the spindle pole body [7] [8] [9] [10] and on the kinetochore.[11] [12] [13] [14] Much of the recent research, conducted in collaboration with the Asbury Lab at the University of Washington, uses biophysical techniques such as optical tweezers to quantify the microtubule-coupling activity of the kinetochore.

Dr. Davis was also the director of the Yeast Resource Center (YRC), a Biomedical Technology Research Center supported by the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of General Medical Studies.

Awards and recognition

In 2020, Davis was named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Advancement . UW Medicine . Trisha N. Davis, Ph.D. - UW Medicine . Chairs & Professorships . 2020-05-12.
  2. Web site: January 2024 Newsletter UW Biochemistry . 2024-10-29 . sites.uw.edu.
  3. Web site: Save the Date – 2024 UW Biochemistry . 2024-10-29 . sites.uw.edu.
  4. Davis. Trisha N.. Urdea. Mickey S.. Masiarz. Frank R.. Thorner. Jeremy. Isolation of the yeast calmodulin gene: Calmodulin is an essential protein. Cell. 47. 3. 1986. 423–431. 0092-8674. 10.1016/0092-8674(86)90599-4. 3533275. 40739181.
  5. Davis. T. N.. Thorner. J.. Vertebrate and yeast calmodulin, despite significant sequence divergence, are functionally interchangeable.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 86. 20. 1989. 7909–7913. 0027-8424. 10.1073/pnas.86.20.7909. 2554295. 298181. 1989PNAS...86.7909D. free.
  6. Moser . M.J. . Flory . M.R. . Davis . T.N. . Calmodulin localizes to the spindle pole body of Schizosaccharomyces pombe and performs an essential function in chromosome segregation . Journal of Cell Science . 110 . 15 . 1997-08-01 . 0021-9533 . 9264467 . 1805–1812 . 10.1242/jcs.110.15.1805 . 2020-05-12.
  7. Fong . Kimberly K. . Zelter . Alex . Graczyk . Beth . Hoyt . Jill M. . Riffle . Michael . Johnson . Richard . MacCoss . Michael J. . Davis . Trisha N. . Novel phosphorylation states of the yeast spindle pole body . Biology Open . The Company of Biologists . 7 . 10 . 2018-06-14 . 2046-6390 . 10.1242/bio.033647 . bio033647. 29903865 . 6215409 . free .
  8. Viswanath . Shruthi . Bonomi . Massimiliano . Kim . Seung Joong . Klenchin . Vadim A. . Taylor . Keenan C. . Yabut . King C. . Umbreit . Neil T. . Van Epps . Heather A. . Meehl . Janet . Jones . Michele H. . Russel . Daniel . Velazquez-Muriel . Javier A. . Winey . Mark . Ivan Rayment . Rayment . Ivan . Davis . Trisha N. . Sali . Andrej . Muller . Eric G. . Bloom . Kerry S. . The molecular architecture of the yeast spindle pole body core determined by Bayesian integrative modeling . Molecular Biology of the Cell . American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) . 28 . 23 . 2017-11-07 . 1059-1524 . 10.1091/mbc.e17-06-0397 . 3298–3314. 28814505 . 5687031 . free .
  9. Fong . Kimberly K. . Sarangapani . Krishna K. . Yusko . Erik C. . Riffle . Michael . Llauró . Aida . Graczyk . Beth . Davis . Trisha N. . Asbury . Charles L. . Bloom . Kerry S. . Direct measurement of the strength of microtubule attachment to yeast centrosomes . Molecular Biology of the Cell . American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) . 28 . 14 . 2017-07-07 . 1059-1524 . 10.1091/mbc.e17-01-0034 . 1853–1861. 28331072 . 5541836 . free .
  10. Lyon . Andrew S. . Morin . Geneviève . Moritz . Michelle . Yabut . King Clyde B. . Vojnar . Tamira . Zelter . Alex . Muller . Eric . Davis . Trisha N. . Agard . David A. . Doxsey . Stephen . Higher-order oligomerization of Spc110p drives γ-tubulin ring complex assembly . Molecular Biology of the Cell . American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) . 27 . 14 . 2016-07-15 . 1059-1524 . 10.1091/mbc.e16-02-0072 . 2245–2258. 27226487 . 4945142 . free .
  11. Scarborough . Emily Anne . Davis . Trisha N . Asbury . Charles L . Tight bending of the Ndc80 complex provides intrinsic regulation of its binding to microtubules . eLife . eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd . 8 . 2019-05-02 . 2050-084X . 10.7554/elife.44489 . 31045495 . 6516834 . free .
  12. Kim . Jae ook . Zelter . Alex . Umbreit . Neil T . Bollozos . Athena . Riffle . Michael . Johnson . Richard . MacCoss . Michael J . Asbury . Charles L . Davis . Trisha N . The Ndc80 complex bridges two Dam1 complex rings . eLife . eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd . 6 . 2017-02-13 . 2050-084X . 10.7554/elife.21069 . 28191870 . 5354518 . free .
  13. Zelter . Alex . Bonomi . Massimiliano . Kim . Jae ook . Umbreit . Neil T. . Hoopmann . Michael R. . Johnson . Richard . Riffle . Michael . Jaschob . Daniel . MacCoss . Michael J. . Moritz . Robert L. . Davis . Trisha N. . The molecular architecture of the Dam1 kinetochore complex is defined by cross-linking based structural modelling . Nature Communications . Springer Science and Business Media LLC . 6 . 1 . 2015-11-12 . 2041-1723 . 10.1038/ncomms9673 . 4660060 . 8673. 26560693 . 2015NatCo...6.8673Z . free .
  14. Powers . Andrew F. . Franck . Andrew D. . Gestaut . Daniel R. . Cooper . Jeremy . Gracyzk . Beth . Wei . Ronnie R. . Wordeman . Linda . Davis . Trisha N. . Asbury . Charles L. . The Ndc80 Kinetochore Complex Forms Load-Bearing Attachments to Dynamic Microtubule Tips via Biased Diffusion . Cell . Elsevier BV . 136 . 5 . 2009 . 0092-8674 . 10.1016/j.cell.2008.12.045 . 865–875. 19269365 . 2749323 .
  15. Web site: UW president, biochemistry chair and mathematics professor named to American Academy of Arts and Sciences . UW News . 2020-04-23 . 2020-05-12.

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