The International Biomedical Research Alliance congratulates the Class of 2020 NIH-Cambridge Ph.D. Scholar Jacob Gordon on being named the 2022 recipient of the Gregory Paul Lenardo Basic Science Award for Discoveries in Cellular and Molecular Biology, endowed by NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program Co-Founder, Dr. Michael Lenardo, in loving memory of his brother, Gregory Paul Lenardo. This award recognizes discoveries of fundamental cellular, molecular, or genetic processes using model systems that advance scientific understanding of biological processes in higher organisms. This award was presented by Dr. Iain Fraser, Deputy Scientific Director of the Scholars Program, at the Annual NIH Global Doctoral Partnerships Research Workshop at the University of Oxford. Jacob is mentored by Dr. Robin Stanley of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS/NIH) and Prof. Alan Warren at the University of Cambridge.
Jacob is honored with this award due to his fundamental structural and functional studies on the Rixosome Complex. The Rixosome Complex is a large multi-protein RNA processing assembly that is essential for ribosome synthesis and heterochromatin maintenance. By reconstituting the Rixosome from several model organisms including fungi and humans, Jacob has reshaped our understanding of the assembly and function of this molecular machine. Recently, he solved the first cryo-EM structure of part of the human Rixosome revealing how two members of this protein assembly form a central scaffold to support the Rixosome’s diverse cellular roles. Moreover, Jacob has discovered how the Rixosome is directly recruited to pre-mature ribosome particles and histones through cell-based assays. This work is currently under final consideration for publication in a high-impact journal. His nominator noted that Jacob’s work has broad applications for understanding how RNA processing by the Rixosome mediates both degradation of RNA associated with heterochromatin and essential processing of the pre-ribosomal RNA.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the Alliance, the OxCam program, and my co-mentors Robin and Alan, for their immense support and for providing me the opportunity to receive this award. My Ph.D. research on the Rixosome has been extremely exciting to work on and has left us with more questions than answers (which is certainly a good thing). This protein machine has only recently been discovered and its significance in cellular function and human disease is starting to be of greater interest in the scientific community. That is part of what makes this project exciting to work on as a Ph.D. student. It is truly uncharted territory where our biochemical and structural studies are establishing key features of the Rixosome that will hopefully inform many future studies”. In the Fall of 2022, Jacob will be moving his research location from NIEHS in Durham, NC to the University of Cambridge in the UK. He will be continuing work on the human Rixosome with an emphasis on learning more about how the Rixosome interacts with its biological RNA substrates. Jacob is on track to complete his Ph.D. at Cambridge in 2024.