Thomas A.
Steitz
Thomas Arthur Steitz (August 23, 1940 – October 9,
2018[1]) was an American biochemist, a Sterling Thomas Steitz
ForMemRS
Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
at Yale University, and investigator at the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute, best known for his
pioneering work on the ribosome.
Steitz was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
along with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Ada
Yonath "for studies of the structure and function of the
ribosome".[2] Steitz also won the Gairdner
International Award in 2007[3] "for his studies on the
structure and function of the ribosome which showed
that the peptidyl transferase (EC 2.3.2.12) was an RNA
catalyzed reaction, and for revealing the mechanism of
inhibition of this function by antibiotics".[4]
Education and career
Steitz in 2009
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[2] Steitz studied
Born Thomas Arthur Steitz
chemistry as an undergraduate at Lawrence University
August 23, 1940
in Appleton, Wisconsin, graduating in 1962. In June
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
2010, the University renamed its chemistry building
Thomas A. Steitz Hall of Science.[5] Died October 9, 2018 (aged 78)
Branford, Connecticut, U.S.
He received a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular Alma mater Wauwatosa High School,
biology from Harvard University in 1966 where he Lawrence University,
worked under the direction of subsequent 1976 Harvard University
chemistry Nobel Prize winner William N. Lipscomb, Known for Bio-crystallography
Jr. While at Harvard, after the training task of
Spouse Joan A. Steitz
determining the structure of the small molecule methyl
ethylene phosphate,[6] Steitz made contributions to Children 1
determining the atomic structures of carboxypeptidase Awards Sir Hans Krebs Medal (2000)
A (EC 3.4.17.1)[7] and aspartate carbamoyltransferase Keio Medical Science Prize
(EC 2.1.3.2),[8] each the largest atomic structure (2006)
determined in its time.
Gairdner Foundation
Steitz did postdoctoral research as a Jane Coffin Childs International Award (2007)
Postdoctoral Fellow at the MRC Laboratory of Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Molecular Biology during 1967–1970. (2009)
Scientific career
Steitz briefly held an assistant professorship at the Fields Crystallography
University of California, Berkeley, but he resigned on Structural biology
the grounds that the institution would not accept his
Institutions Howard Hughes Medical
wife Joan into a faculty position because she was a
Institute, Yale University,
woman.[9]
University of California,
Both Tom and Joan Steitz instead joined the Yale Berkeley
faculty in 1970, where he continued to work on Thesis The 6⁰A crystal structure of
cellular and structural biology. Steitz and Peter Moore carboxypeptidase A (http://i
determined the atomic structure of the large 50S d.lib.harvard.edu/alma/9900
ribosomal subunit using X-ray crystallography, and 39531080203941/catalo
published their findings in Science in 2000.[10] In g) (1967)
2009, Steitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Doctoral advisor William N. Lipscomb, Jr.
for his ribosome research.
Other academic David M. Blow
advisors
He was also a Macy Fellow at the University of
Göttingen during 1976–1977 and a Fairchild Scholar at Notable Nenad Ban
the California Institute of Technology during 1984– students
1985.[3] Website steitzlab.yale.edu (http://stei
tzlab.yale.edu/)
Steitz was also one of the founders of a company, Rib-
X Pharmaceuticals, now Melinta Therapeutics for the
development of new antibiotics based on the ribosome.
Honors
Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2009)
Elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 2011[11][12]
Private life
He enjoyed skiing, hiking, and gardening.[13]
It should also be noted that Tom valued a good time. He always looked forward to department
happy hours, wine tastings and any other excuse for a party. He hosted many wonderful
Halloween parties at his home, always appropriately attire in costume.[14]
Steitz was married to Joan A. Steitz, a distinguished molecular biologist who is also a Sterling Professor
of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale. He lived with her in Branford, Connecticut and had
one son, Jon, and two grandchildren, Adam and Maddy.[15] He died on October 9, 2018, of complications
during treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Publications
Steitz, T. A., et al. "Determination of the Atomic-Resolution Crystal Structure of the Large
Subunit from the Ribosome of Haloarcula marismortui;" (https://web.archive.org/web/200408
09033742/http://www.nsls.bnl.gov/newsroom/publications/newsletters/2000/00-nov.pdf), nsls
newsletter, (November 2000).
Steitz, T. A., et al. "The Atomic Resolution Crystal Structure of the Large Ribosomal Subunit
from Haloarcula marismortui" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110721032849/http://www.px.n
sls.bnl.gov/2_scihi_feature.pdf), NSLS Activity Report (2000).
See also
History of RNA biology
List of RNA biologists
References
1. Kolata, Gina (10 October 2018). "Thomas A. Steitz, 78, Dies; Illuminated a Building Block of
Life" (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/obituaries/thomas-a-steitz-dead.html). The New
York Times.
2. 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/200
9/), Nobel Foundation.
3. Thomas Steitz (http://steitzlab.yale.edu/people/thomas-steitz), Thomas Steitz Lab.
4. Thomas A. Steitz (http://www.gairdner.org/awards/awardees2/20071998/2007awarde/thoma
saste), The Gairdner 50 Foundation.
5. "Lawrence To Honor Nobel Prize Winner with Building Renaming Ceremony on Friday" (htt
p://blogs.lawrence.edu/news/2010/06/lawrence_to_honor_nobel_prize_.html). Lawrence
University. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
6. Steitz, T. A. and Lipscomb, W. N., "Molecular Structure of Methyl Ethylene Phosphate," J
Am. Chem. Soc. 87, 2488 (1965).
7. Ludwig ML, Hartsuck JA, Steitz TA, Muirhead H, Coppola JC, Reeke GN, Lipscomb WN.
The Structure of Carboxypeptidase A, IV. Prelimitary Results at 2.8 A Resolution, and a
Substrate Complex at 6 A Resolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1967 March; 57(3): 511–
514.
8. Steitz TA, Wiley DC, Lipscomb WN. The structure of aspartate transcarbamylase, I. A
molecular twofold axis in the complex with cytidine triphosphate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
1967 November; 58(5): 1859–1861.
9. Ferry, Georgina (2018-10-30). "Thomas A. Steitz (1940–2018)" (https://doi.org/10.1038%2F
d41586-018-07187-2). Nature. 563 (7729): 36. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-07187-2 (https://do
i.org/10.1038%2Fd41586-018-07187-2). ISSN 0028-0836 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0
028-0836).
10. "Yale Researches Solve Structure of the Ribosome; Groundbreaking Achievement 'Like
Climbing Mount Everest' " (http://news.yale.edu/2000/08/10/yale-researchers-solve-structure
-ribosome-groundbreaking-achievement-climbing-mount-evere). YaleNews. 10 August 2000.
Retrieved 17 March 2015.
11. "Foreign Members" (http://royalsociety.org/about-us/fellowship/foreign-members/). Royal
Society. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
12. Ramakrishnan, V.; Henderson, Richard (2021). "Thomas Arthur Steitz. 23 August 1940—9
October 2018" (https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frsbm.2021.0029). Biographical Memoirs of
Fellows of the Royal Society. 72: 311–336. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2021.0029 (https://doi.org/10.
1098%2Frsbm.2021.0029). S2CID 244731370 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:24
4731370).
13. "The Best Job Ever. Reflections On My Time with Tom Steitz, 1985–2018 by Peggy
Eatheron" (https://books.google.com/books?id=xSn7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA29). Structural
Insights Into Gene Expression And Protein Synthesis. Series in Structural Biology—Volume
12. Singapore: World Scientific. 2020. pp. 29–31. ISBN 9789811215872.
14. Steitz, Thomas A. (2020). "The Best Job Ever. Reflections On My Time with Tom Steitz,
1985–2018 by Peggy Eatheron" (https://books.google.com/books?id=xSn7DwAAQBAJ&pg=
PA31). Structural Insights Into Gene Expression And Protein Synthesis. World Scientific.
pp. 29–31. ISBN 9789811215872. (quote from p. 31)
15. "Episode 28 – Thomas Steitz – A Nobel Profession – MIPtalk" (https://web.archive.org/web/2
0110401101355/http://www.miptalk.com/thomas-steitz/). Archived from the original (http://w
ww.miptalk.com/thomas-steitz/) on 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
External links
"Inquisitiveness of Milwaukee native leads to a Nobel Prize (http://www.jsonline.com/feature
s/health/63724227.html)", The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Thomas Steitz – MIPtalk.com interview (http://www.miptalk.com/?p=415)
Lawrence University Graduate Awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry (http://blogs.lawrence.ed
u/news/2009/10/lawrence_university_graduate_a.html)
Thomas A. Steitz (https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/842) on Nobelprize.org
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