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Harvey
Rubin, M.D., Ph.D.
Harvey Rubin is the Director of Penn's Institute for Strategic Threat
Analyis and Response (ISTAR), and Associate Dean for Student Affairs
in the School of Medicine.
The Rubin
laboratory is involved in several projects. 1. Pathogenesis of dormancy
in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: It is widely and believed that oxygen
limitation, amino acid starvation and carbon source restriction are
involved in establishing and maintaining Mycobacterium tuberculosis
in a dormant state. Correspondingly, emergence from dormancy is related
to a partial or complete amelioration of these conditions. The lab identified
three genetic and enzyme systems that comprise regulatory networks in
M.TB that may be involved in pathogenesis. 2. Enzymology and cell biology
of serine proteases and serine protease inhibitors: Serine proteases
and serine protease inhibitors (serpins) play critical roles in inflammation,
coagulation, growth and development. The lab has proposed a general
model for the mechanism of inhibition of serine proteases by serine
protease inhibitors based on site directed mutagenesis, atomic resolution
crystal structures and NMR spectroscopic analyses, and is exploring
the consequences and extensions of this model. 3. Biomolecular Computation:
A new area of investigation is known as biomolecular computation where
complex computational operations are carried out using biomolecules,
in particular using DNA. The lab showed how macromolecules can be manipulated
to carry out fundamental logical operations and can be wired together
as reversible logic gates. The lab is collaborating with members of
the School of Engineering on modeling complex biological behavior using
a hybrid systems approach that combines continuous and stochastic modalities.
Selected publications:
Avarbock, D., Avarbock,
A. and Rubin, H. Differential Regulation of Opposing Activities by the
Amino-Acylation State of a tRNA-Ribosome-mRNA-RelMtb Complex. Biochemistry
39, 11640-11648, 2000.
2. Primm, TP., Anderson, SJ., Mizrahi, V., Avarbock, D., Rubin, H*.
and Barry, CE*. The Stringent Response of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is Required for Long-term Survival. J. Bacteriol. 182, 4889-4898, 2000.
Estbanez-Perpina,
E., Fuentes-Prior, P., Belorgey, D., Braun, M., Kiefersauer, K., Maskos,
K., Huber, R., Rubin, H. and Bode, W. Crystal Structure of the Caspase
Activator Human Granzyme B, a Proteinase Highly Specific for an Asp-P1
Residue. Biological Chemistry 381, 1203–1214, 2000.
Kana BD., Weinstein
EA., Avarbock D., Dawes SS., Rubin H., Mizrahi V. Characterization of
the cydAB-Encoded Cytochrome bd Oxidase from Mycobacterium smegmatis.
J. Bacteriol. 183,7076-7086, 2001
Contact:
Harvey Rubin, M.D.,Ph.D.
522 Johnson Pavilion
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6073
rubinh@mail.med.upenn.edu
(215)662-6475
Education:
Doctorate Degree: University of Pennslyvania
Medical School: Columbia University College of Physicans and Surgeons
ID Training: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
Academic Rank: Professor of Medicine |
