Guy Salvesen
Encyclopedia
Guy Salvesen is a South African-born biochemist
, best known for his work in the field of apoptosis
. His research focuses on protease
s and their inhibitors
in humans, with particular emphasis on the caspase
s of the apoptotic cell death pathway.
His PhD in biochemistry
is from the University of Cambridge
, studying under Alan Barrett (1981). His first posts were at the Strangeways Laboratory and MRC
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
in Cambridge
. In 1985, Salvesen moved to the USA, taking up a position at the University of Georgia
. He joined the faculty of Duke University
in 1987, and moved his laboratory to the Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research, La Jolla, California
in 1996.
As of 2007, Salvesen is the Program Director in Apoptosis and Cell Death Research at the Sanford-Burnham Institute. He also holds an Assistant Professorship at Duke University.
He serves as the Vice-Chair (the Americas) of the Biochemical Journal
.
Drag, M., Mikolajczyk, J., Krishnakumar, I. M., Huang, Z. and Salvesen, G. S. (2008) Activity profiling of human deSUMOylating enzymes (SENPs) with synthetic substrates suggests an unexpected specificity of two newly characterized members of the family. Biochem J 409, 461-469
Riedl, S. J. and Salvesen, G. S. (2007) The apoptosome: signalling platform of cell death. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 5, 405-413
Mikolajczyk, J., Drag, M., Bekes, M., Cao, J. T., Ronai, Z. and Salvesen, G. S. (2007) Small Ubiquitin-related Modifier (SUMO)-specific Proteases: Profiling The Specificities And Activities Of Human Senps. J Biol Chem 282, 26217-26224
Timmer, J. C., Enoksson, M., Wildfang, E., Zhu, W., Igarashi, Y., Denault, J. B., Ma, Y., Dummitt, B., Chang, Y. H., Mast, A. E., Eroshkin, A., Smith, J., Tao, W. A. and Salvesen, G. S. (2007) Profiling constitutive proteolytic events in vivo. Biochem J 407, 41-48
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
, best known for his work in the field of apoptosis
Apoptosis
Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...
. His research focuses on protease
Protease
A protease is any enzyme that conducts proteolysis, that is, begins protein catabolism by hydrolysis of the peptide bonds that link amino acids together in the polypeptide chain forming the protein....
s and their inhibitors
Protease inhibitor (biology)
In biology and biochemistry, protease inhibitors are molecules that inhibit the function of proteases. Many naturally occurring protease inhibitors are proteins....
in humans, with particular emphasis on the caspase
Caspase
Caspases, or cysteine-aspartic proteases or cysteine-dependent aspartate-directed proteases are a family of cysteine proteases that play essential roles in apoptosis , necrosis, and inflammation....
s of the apoptotic cell death pathway.
His PhD in biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
is from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, studying under Alan Barrett (1981). His first posts were at the Strangeways Laboratory and MRC
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
The Laboratory of Molecular Biology is a research institute in Cambridge, England, which was at the forefront of the revolution in molecular biology which occurred in the 1950–60s, since then it remains a major medical research laboratory with a much broader focus.-Early beginnings: 1947-61:Max...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. In 1985, Salvesen moved to the USA, taking up a position at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
. He joined the faculty of Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in 1987, and moved his laboratory to the Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research, La Jolla, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1996.
As of 2007, Salvesen is the Program Director in Apoptosis and Cell Death Research at the Sanford-Burnham Institute. He also holds an Assistant Professorship at Duke University.
He serves as the Vice-Chair (the Americas) of the Biochemical Journal
Biochemical Journal
The Biochemical Journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal which covers all aspects of biochemistry, as well as cell and molecular biology...
.
Key recent publications
- Pop C, Timmer J, Sperandio S, Salvesen GS. (2006) The apoptosome activates caspase-9 by dimerization. Mol Cell 22: 269–275
- Eckelman BP, Salvesen GS. (2006) The human anti-apoptotic proteins cIAP1 and cIAP2 bind but do not inhibit caspases. J Biol Chem 281: 3254–3260
- Pop C, Salvesen GS. (2005) The nematode death machine in 3D. Cell 123: 192–193
- Scott FL, Denault JB, Riedl SJ, Shin H, Renatus M, Salvesen GS. (2005) XIAP inhibits caspase-3 and -7 using two binding sites: evolutionarily conserved mechanism of IAPs. EMBO J 24: 645–655
Drag, M., Mikolajczyk, J., Krishnakumar, I. M., Huang, Z. and Salvesen, G. S. (2008) Activity profiling of human deSUMOylating enzymes (SENPs) with synthetic substrates suggests an unexpected specificity of two newly characterized members of the family. Biochem J 409, 461-469
Riedl, S. J. and Salvesen, G. S. (2007) The apoptosome: signalling platform of cell death. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 5, 405-413
Mikolajczyk, J., Drag, M., Bekes, M., Cao, J. T., Ronai, Z. and Salvesen, G. S. (2007) Small Ubiquitin-related Modifier (SUMO)-specific Proteases: Profiling The Specificities And Activities Of Human Senps. J Biol Chem 282, 26217-26224
Timmer, J. C., Enoksson, M., Wildfang, E., Zhu, W., Igarashi, Y., Denault, J. B., Ma, Y., Dummitt, B., Chang, Y. H., Mast, A. E., Eroshkin, A., Smith, J., Tao, W. A. and Salvesen, G. S. (2007) Profiling constitutive proteolytic events in vivo. Biochem J 407, 41-48