Dr.
Alan G. Hinnebusch
National Institutes of Health
Molecular biologist; Government research scientist and administrator
Area
Biological Sciences
Specialty
Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology
Elected
2009
Head, Group on Cell Regulation and Development, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Applied molecular genetics and biochemistry to elucidate molecular mechanisms of eukaryotic protein synthesis, particularly the selection of initiation sites on messenger RNA. Best known for the discovery that cells respond to nutrient limitation by modifying a single translation initiation factor in a way that suppresses production of most proteins, while inducing synthesis of transcription factor GCN4 by altering initiation site selection on GCN4 messenger RNA. Identified the critical determinants of the activation domain of GCN4 and helped to establish the participation of coactivator complexes SAGA, SWI/SNF and Mediator, in transcriptional activation by GCN4.
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