Richard H. Ebright

Richard H. Ebright is an American molecular biologist. He is the Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University and Laboratory Director at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology.

Early life and education

Richard H. Ebright was born on 11 June 1959 to Richard Jerome Ebright and Jacqueline Katherine Ebright. His father died when he was in third grade. Ebright received an A.B. summa cum laude in biology from Harvard University in 1981 and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University in 1987. He was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows from 1984 to 1987.

Career

Ebright was appointed as a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Rutgers University and as a Laboratory Director at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology in 1987. He was co-appointed as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 1997 to 2013.

Ebright has performed research on protein-DNA interaction, transcription initiation, transcription activation, and antibacterial drug discovery. Ebright's research results include the experimental demonstration that amino-acid-base contacts mediate DNA sequence recognition in protein–DNA interaction, the determination of the three-dimensional structural organization of the transcription initiation complex; the demonstration that initial transcription involves a "DNA scrunching" mechanism; the demonstration that transcription activation can proceed by a "recruitment" mechanism; and the identification of novel antibacterial drug targets in bacterial RNA polymerase.

In 1994 Ebright was awarded the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Schering-Plough Award for his research on transcription activation. In 1995 he received the Academic Press Walter J. Johnson Prize. In 2013 he received a National Institutes of Health MERIT Award. He was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 1996, the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004, the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 2011, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.

Ebright has opposed the proliferation of laboratories working on biological weapons agents and has supported the strengthening of biosafety and biosecurity measures to reduce risks of release of biological weapons.

Ebright has opposed affirmative action, claiming that affirmative action by universities is racist.

Notable publications

• Ebright, R.; Cossart, P.; Gicquel-Sanzey, B.; Beckwith, J. (1984). "Mutations that alter the DNA sequence specificity of the catabolite gene activator protein of E. coli". Nature. 311 (5983): 232–235. doi:10.1038/311232a0. PMID 6090927.
• Blatter, E.; Ebright, Y.; Ebright, R. (1992). "Identification of an amino acid-base contact in the GCN4-DNA complex by bromouracil-mediated photocrosslinking". Nature. 359 (6396): 650–652. doi:10.1038/359650a0. PMID 1406998.
• Heyduk, T.; Lee, J.; Ebright, Y.; Blatter, E.; Zhou, Y.; Ebright, R. (1993). "CAP interacts with RNA polymerase in solution in the absence of promoter DNA". Nature. 364 (6437): 548–549. doi:10.1038/364548a0. PMID 8393148.
• Zhou, Y.; Busby, S.; Ebright, R. (1993). "Identification of the functional subunit of a dimeric transcription activator protein by use of "oriented heterodimers". Cell. 73 (2): 375–379. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(93)90236-J. PMID 8477449.
• Chen, Y.; Ebright, Y.; Ebright, R. (1994). "Identification of the target of a transcription activator protein by protein-protein photocrosslinking". Science. 265 (5168): 90–92. doi:10.1126/science.8016656. PMID 8016656.
• Blatter, E.; Ross, W.; Tang, H.; Gourse, R.; Ebright, R. (1994). "Domain organization of RNA polymerase α subunit: C-terminal 85 amino acids constitute a domain capable of dimerization and DNA binding". Cell. 78 (5): 889–896. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(94)90682-3. PMID 8087855.
• Busby, S.; Ebright, R. (1994). "Promoter structure, promoter recognition, and transcription activation in prokaryotes". Cell. 79 (5): 743–746. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(94)90063-9. PMID 8001112.
• Pendergrast, P. S.; Ebright, Y.; Ebright, R. (1994). "High-specificity DNA cleavage agent: design and application to kilobase and megabase DNA substrates". Science. 265 (5174): 959–961. doi:10.1126/science.8052855. PMID 8052855.
• Niu, W.; Kim, Y.; Tau, G.; Heyduk, T.; Ebright, R. (1996). "Transcription activation at Class II CAP-dependent promoters: two interactions between CAP and RNA polymerase". Cell. 87 (6): 1123–1134. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81806-1. PMC 4430116. PMID 8978616.
• Miller, A.; Wood, D.; Ebright, R.; Rothman-Denes, L. (1997). "RNA polymerase β': a target for DNA-binding-independent activation". Science. 275 (5306): 1655–1657. doi:10.1126/science.275.5306.1655. PMID 9054361.
• Kim, T.-K.; Ebright, R.; Reinberg, D. (2000). "Mechanism of ATP-dependent promoter melting by transcription factor IIH". Science. 288 (5470): 1418–1421. doi:10.1126/science.288.5470.1418. PMID 10827951.
• Naryshkin, N.; Revyakin, A.; Kim, Y.; Mekler, V.; Ebright, R. (2000). "Structural organization of the RNA polymerase-promoter open complex". Cell. 101 (6): 601–611. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(00)80872-7. PMID 10892647.
• Mukhopadhyay, J.; Kapanidis, A.; Mekler, V.; Kortkhonjia, E.; Ebright, Y.; Ebright, R. (2001). "Translocation of σ70 with RNA polymerase during transcription: fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay for movement relative to DNA". Cell. 106 (4): 453–463. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(01)00464-0. PMID 11525731.
• Mekler, V.; Kortkhonjia, E.; Mukhopadhyay, J.; Knight, J.; Revyakin, A.; Kapanidis, A.; Niu, W.; Ebright, Y.; Levy, R.; Ebright, R. (2002). "Structural organization of bacterial RNA polymerase holoenzyme and the RNA polymerase-promoter open complex". Cell. 108 (5): 599–614. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(02)00667-0. PMID 11893332.
• Benoff, B.; Yang, H.; Lawson, C.; Parkinson, G.; Liu, J.; Blatter, E.; Ebright, Y.; Berman, H.; Ebright, R. (2002). "Structural basis of transcription activation: the CAP-αCTD-DNA complex". Science. 297 (5586): 1562–1566. doi:10.1126/science.1076376. PMID 12202833.
• Tuske, S.; Sarafianos, S.; Wang, X.; Hudson, B.; Sineva, E.; Mukhopadhyay, J.; Birktoft, J.; Leroy, O.; Ismail, S.; Clark, A.; Dharia, C.; Napoli, A.; Laptenko, O.; Lee, J.; Borokhov, S.; Arnold, E.; Ebright, R. (2005). "Inhibition of bacterial RNA polymerase by streptolydigin: stabilization of a straight-bridge-helix active-center conformation". Cell. 122 (4): 541–552. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2005.07.017. PMC 2754413. PMID 16122422.
• Revyakin, A.; Liu, C.; Ebright, R.; Strick, T. (2006). "Abortive initiation and productive initiation by RNA polymerase involve DNA scrunching". Science. 314 (5802): 1139–1143. doi:10.1126/science.1131398. PMC 2754787. PMID 17110577.
• Kapanidis, A.; Margeat, E.; Ho, S. O.; Kortkhonjia, E.; Weiss, S.; Ebright, R. (2006). "Initial transcription by RNA polymerase proceeds through a DNA-scrunching mechanism". Science. 314 (5802): 1144–1147. doi:10.1126/science.1131399. PMC 2754788. PMID 17110578.
• Mukhopadhyay, J.; Das, K.; Ismail, S.; Koppstein, D.; Jang, M.; Hudson, B.; Sarafianos, S.; Tuske, S.; Patel, J.; Jansen, R.; Irschik, H.; Arnold, E.; Ebright, R. (2008). "The RNA polymerase "switch region" is a target of inhibitors". Cell. 135 (2): 295–307. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2008.09.033. PMC 2580802. PMID 18957204.
• Goldman, S.; Ebright, R.; Nickels, B. (2009). "Direct detection of abortive RNA transcripts in vivo". Science. 324 (5929): 927–928. doi:10.1126/science.1169237. PMC 2718712. PMID 19443781.
• Chakraborty, A.; Wang, D.; Ebright, Y.; Korlann, Y.; Kortkhonjia, E.; Kim, T.; Chowdhury, S.; Wigneshweraraj, S.; Irschik, H.; Jansen, R.; Nixon, B.T.; Knight, J.; Weiss, S.; Ebright, R. (2012). "Opening and closing of the bacterial RNA polymerase clamp". Science. 337 (6094): 591–595. doi:10.1126/science.1218716. PMC 3626110. PMID 22859489.
• Zhang, Y.; Feng, Y.; Chatterjee, S.; Tuske, S.; Ho, M.; Arnold, E.; Ebright, R. (2012). "Structural basis of transcription initiation". Science. 338 (6110): 1076–1080. doi:10.1126/science.1227786. PMC 3593053. PMID 23086998.
• Zhang, Y.; Degen, D.; Ho, M.; Sineva, E.; Ebright, K.; Ebright, Y.; Mekler, V.; Vahedian-Movahed, H.; Feng, Y.; Yin, R.; Tuske, S; Irschik, H.; Jansen, R.; Maffioli, S.; Donadio, S.; Arnold, E.; Ebright, R. (2014). "GE23077 binds to the RNA polymerase 'i' and 'i+1' sites and prevents the binding of initiating nucleotides". eLife. 3: e02450. doi:10.7554/eLife.02450. PMC 3994528. PMID 24755292.
• Degen, D.; Feng, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Ebright, K.; Ebright, Y.; Gigliotti, M.; Vahedian-Movahed, H.; Mandal, S.; Talaue, M.; Connell, N.; Arnold, E.; Fenical, W.; Ebright, R. (2014). "Transcription inhibition by the depsipeptide antibiotic salinamide A". eLife. 3: e02451. doi:10.7554/eLife.02451. PMC 4029172. PMID 24843001.
• Vvedenskaya, I.; Vahedian-Movahed, H.; Bird, J.; Knoblauch, J.; Goldman, S.; Zhang, Y.; Ebright, R.; Nickels, B. (2014). "Interactions between RNA polymerase and the "core recognition element" counteract pausing". Science. 344: 1285–1289. doi:10.1126/science.1253458. PMC 4277259. PMID 24926020.
• Winkelman, J.; Vvedenskaya, I.; Zhang, Y.; Bird, J.; Taylor, D.; Gourse, R.; Ebright, R.; Nickels, B. (2016). "Multiplexed protein-DNA cross-linking: Scrunching in transcription start site selection". Science. 351 (6277): 1090–1093. doi:10.1126/science.aad6881. PMC 4797950. PMID 26941320.
• Feng, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Ebright, R. H. (2016). "Structural basis of transcription activation". Science. 352 (6291): 1330–1333. doi:10.1126/science.aaf4417. PMC 4905602. PMID 27284196.
• Bird, J.; Zhang, Y.; Tian, Y.; Panova, N.; Barvík, I.; Greene, L.; Liu, M.; Buckley, B.; Krasny, L.; Lee, J.; Kaplan, C.; Ebright, R.; Nickels, B. (2016). "The mechanism of RNA 5' capping with NAD+, NADH and desphospho-CoA". Nature. 535 (7612): 444–447. doi:10.1038/nature18622. PMC 4961592. PMID 27383794.
• Lin, W.; Mandal, S.; Degen, D.; Liu, Y.; Ebright, Y. W.; Li. S.; Feng, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Mandal, S.; Jiang, Y.; Liu, S.; Gigliotti, M.; Talaue, M.; Connell, N.; Das, K.; Arnold, E. & Ebright, R. H. (2017). "Structural basis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transcription and transcription inhibition". Mol. Cell. 66: 169–179. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2017.03.001. PMC 5438085. PMID 28392175.
• Maffioli, S.; Zhang, Y.; Degen, D.; Carzaniga, T.; Del Gatto, G.; Serina, S.; Monciardini, P.; Mazzetti, C.; Guglierame, P.; Candiani, G.; Chiriac, A. I.; Facchetti, G.; Kaltofen, P.; Sahl, H.-G.; Dehò, G.; Donadio, S. & Ebright, R. H. (2017). "Antibacterial nucleoside-analog inhibitor of bacterial RNA polymerase". Cell. 169 (7): 1240–1248. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.042. PMC 5542026. PMID 28622509.
• Yu, L.; Winkelman, J.; Chirangini, P.; Strick, T.; Nickels, B. & Ebright, R. H. (2017). "The mechanism of variability in transcription start site selection". eLife. 6: 32038. doi:10.7554/eLife.32038. PMC 5730371. PMID 29168694.
• Lin, W.; Das, K.; Degen, D.; Mazumder, A.; Duchi, D.; Wang, D.; Ebright, Y.; Ebright, R.Y.; Sineva, E.; Gigliotti, M.; Srivastava, A.; Mandal, S.; Jiang, Y.; Liu, Y.; Yin, R.; Zhang, Z.; Eng, E.; Thomas, D.; Donadio, S.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, C.; Kapanidis, A. & Ebright, R. H. (2018). "Structural basis of transcription inhibition by fidaxomicin (lipiarmycin A3)". Mol. Cell. 70 (1): 60–71. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2018.02.026. PMC 6205224. PMID 29606590.
• Vvedenskaya, I.; Bird, J.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Jiao, X.; Barvík, I.; Krásný, L.; Kiledjian, M.; Taylor, D.; Ebright. R.H. & Nickels, B. (2018). "CapZyme-Seq comprehensively defines promoter-sequence determinants for RNA 5' capping with NAD". Mol. Cell. 70 (3): 553–564. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2018.03.014. PMC 5935523. PMID 29681497.
• Gabizon, R.; Lee, A.; Vahedian-Movahed, H.; Ebright, R.H. & Bustamante, C. (2018). "Pause sequences facilitate entry into long-lived paused states by reducing RNA polymerase transcription rates". Nature Communications. 9: 2930. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-05344-9. PMC 6062546. PMID 30050038.
• Bird, J.; Basu, U.; Kuster, D.; Ramachandran, A.; Grudzien-Nogalska, E.; Kiledjian, M.; Temiakov, D.; Patel, S.; Ebright, R.H. & Nickels, B. (2018). "Mitochondrial RNA capping: highly efficient 5'-RNA capping with NAD+ and NADH by yeast and human mitochondrial RNA polymerase". eLife. 7: e42179. doi:10.7554/eLife.42179. PMC 6298784. PMID 30526856.
• Lin, W.; Mandal, S.; Degen, D.; Cho, M.S.; Febbg, Y.; Das, K. & Ebright, R.H. (2019). "Structural basis of ECF-σ-factor-dependent transcription initiation". Nature Communications. 10: 710. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-08443-3. PMC 6372665. PMID 30755604.
• Yin, Z.; Kaelber, J. & Ebright, R.H. (2019). "Structural basis of Q-dependent antitermination". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 116: 18384–18390. doi:10.1073/pnas.1909801116. PMID 31455742.