J. Wade Harper

For discovering key components and establishing paradigms underlying regulation of cell division, autophagy, and ubiquitin signaling, including: identifying subunits of cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase (CRL) systems (hundreds of substrate adaptors for CUL1-, CUL3- and CUL4-based CRLs and their substrates); discovering CRL mechanisms of action (including E2 activation by RBX1 RING subunit, helping define the RING domain as the hallmark catalytic component of the majority of E3 ligases); principles of phosphoregulation of ubiquitylation (including phosphorylation-dependent destruction motifs, and PINK1 phosphorylation of ubiquitin and PARKIN regulating mitophagy). Also for discovering a second, essential branch of mammalian ubiquitin pathway regulating signaling and neural development.