David L. Spector (born ) is a cell and molecular biologist best recognized for his research on

gene expression Gene expression is the process (including its Regulation of gene expression, regulation) by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product that enables it to produce end products, proteins or non-coding RNA, ...

and nuclear dynamics. He is currently a Professor at

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is a private, non-profit institution with research programs focusing on cancer, neuroscience, botany, genomics, and quantitative biology. It is located in Laurel Hollow, New York, in Nassau County, on ...

(CSHL). From 2007 to 2023, he served as Director of Research of CSHL.

Education and faculty positions

Spector was born in New York City. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

in 1973, a master's degree from Herbert H. Lehman College in 1977, and a Ph.D.in

cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...

from

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

in 1980. After completing his Ph.D. he accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of

Pharmacology Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur betwee ...

Baylor College of Medicine The Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a private medical school in Houston, Texas, United States. Originally as the Baylor University College of Medicine from 1903 to 1969, the college became independent with the current name and has been se ...

in Houston, Texas. In 1985 he relocated to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and has been promoted through the ranks to his current position of Professor. In 2007 he was appointed Director of Research.

Professional activities

Spector is a pioneer in unraveling our understanding of the inner workings of the cell nucleus. His early investigations centered on the unusual

chromosome structure Eukaryotic chromosome structure refers to the levels of packaging from raw DNA molecules to the Chromosome, chromosomal structures seen during metaphase in mitosis or meiosis. Chromosomes contain long strands of DNA containing genetic information. C ...

dinoflagellate The Dinoflagellates (), also called Dinophytes, are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered protists. Dinoflagellates are mostly marine plankton, but they are also commo ...

s. Recent studies in his laboratory are focused on examining the organization and regulation of gene expression in living mammalian cells. His laboratory has developed approaches to elucidate the spatial and temporal aspects of gene expression and in identifying and characterizing the function of nuclear retained

long non-coding RNA Long non-coding RNAs (long ncRNAs, lncRNA) are a type of RNA, generally defined as transcripts more than 200 nucleotides that are not translated into protein. This arbitrary limit distinguishes long ncRNAs from small non-coding RNAs, such as mic ...

s. His most seminal research accomplishments include the direct visualization in living cells of the recruitment of factors involved in gene expression to active genes; the development of a biochemical fractionation approach to purify a sub-nuclear domain (

nuclear speckles The cell nucleus (; : nuclei) is a membrane-bound organelle found in eukaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells usually have a single nucleus, but a few cell types, such as mammalian red blood cells, have no nuclei, and a few others including osteoc ...

) and characterize its protein constituents; the development of a live cell imaging system to visualize a stably integrated

genetic locus In genetics, a locus (: loci) is a specific, fixed position on a chromosome where a particular gene or genetic marker is located. Each chromosome carries many genes, with each gene occupying a different position or locus; in humans, the total numb ...

and follow in real-time its mRNA and protein products; the elucidation of a rapid-response mechanism of regulating gene expression through RNA nuclear retention; identification of a mechanism by which a single genetic locus can produce a long nuclear retained non-coding RNA and a small cytoplasmic

tRNA Transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA), formerly referred to as soluble ribonucleic acid (sRNA), is an adaptor molecule composed of RNA, typically 76 to 90 nucleotides in length (in eukaryotes). In a cell, it provides the physical link between the gene ...

-like transcript, the identification and characterization of a long nuclear retained non-coding RNA that is involved in organizing a sub-nuclear organelle ( paraspeckles), and determining that knockout or knockdown of the lncRNA ''Malat1'' results in the differentiation of mammary tumors and a significant reduction in metastasis. In addition, Spector has co-edited numerous microscopy techniques manuals (i.e. ''Basic Methods in Microscopy'', ''Live Cell Imaging: A Laboratory Manual''), and a treatise of ''The Nucleus'', that are used in laboratories throughout the world.

Honors and awards

* 1973: City College of New York, Bedesem Award in Biology * 2006: Winship Herr Award for Excellence in Teaching,

Watson School of Biological Sciences The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory School of Biological Sciences, formerly known as the Watson School of Biological Sciences (WSBS) until 2020, is a biological sciences graduate school at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The school was opened in 19 ...

. * 2009-2012: Council Member, The American Society for Cell Biology. * Since 2010: Robert B. Gardner Jr. Professor, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. * 2012: Alumni Achievement Award, Herbert H. Lehman College, New York. * 2014: Elected Member,

American Academy of Arts & Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other F ...

* 2014: Elected Associate Member,

European Molecular Biology Organization The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 2,100 life scientists. Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It co-funds cour ...

* 2016: Rutgers 250 Fellow * 2017: Elected Fellow, The American Society for Cell Biology, Lifetime Fellow Recognition for Distinguished Contributions to the Advancement of Cell Biology

Notes and references

External links

Spector Laboratory at CSHL

Basic Methods in Microscopy Protocols and Concepts from Cells: A Laboratory Manual (from CSHL Press)

Live Cell Imaging: A Laboratory Manual (from CSHL Press)

The Nucleus (Perspectives in Biology) (from CSHL Press)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spector, David L. 1952 births Living people American molecular biologists