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Faculty Detail Faculty Entry   
Name DAVID SCHNEIDER  
Campus Address KAUL 442 Zip 0024
Phone 205-934-4781
E-mail dschneid@uab.edu" id="FacultyDetail1EmailAddress"><a href="mailto:dschneid@uab.edu">dschneid@uab.edu</a>
URL http://structuralbiology.uabwebsites.org/faculty.asp?page=bio&id=376059
 
 

Department Affiliations(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Assistant Professor
Primary  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Assistant Professor

Biographical Sketch 
David was raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA. He obtained his B.S. in microbiology and genetics from the University of Georgia in 1998. As an undergraduate he studied molecular biology of bacteriophage. As a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin (1998 - 2003), he moved up the tree of life to study the effect of small molecule regulators on transcription in bacteria. For his postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Irvine (2003 - 2007), he inched further up the tree of life to study the molecular mechanisms by which RNA polymerase I is regulated in eukaryotic cells. His work continues to focus on studies in model eukaryotic cells (yeast).

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology  member   
American Society of Microbiology  member   
RNA Society  member   
 

Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Control of RNA polymerase I transcription in the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Description
Synthesis of ribosomes is a sophisticated and tightly controlled process in all living cells. Transcription of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) by RNA polymerase I can account for more than 60% of the total transcription in a growing cell. Given the energetic commitment that cells must make to build ribosomes, it is obvious that efficient control of this process is essential. The molecular mechanisms that control the synthesis of rRNA are the focus of my research group.

The research in my lab addresses three general questions:
(1) How is transcription initiation by RNA polymerase I regulated?
(2) What cellular factors affect the efficiency of RNA polymerase I transcription elongation?
(3) How do changes in transcription elongation efficiency affect rRNA processing and ribosome assembly?

To address these questions we perform a variety of biochemical and genetic experiments using the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeast system enables us to do advanced genetic analyses and detailed biochemical experiments to fully address the questions posed above.

These studies are, of course, important from a basic biological standpoint. Additionally, the continued characterization of mechanisms that control rRNA synthesis is important for health related issues. Since the majority of a growing or proliferating cells energy is devoted to ribosome synthesis one would expect a strong correlation between the transcription rate of rRNA by RNA polymerase I and uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation (i.e. cancer). Indeed, rRNA synthesis rate and nucleolar size have long been used as indicators of cell transformation. Thus, a molecular understanding of the processes that regulate RNA polymerase I activity will potentially have long term effects on the ability to control or eliminate cancer cell growth.

Postdoc Positions Available
Date Posted Position Title
No records
 

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Schneider DA (2012). Quantitative analysis of transcription elongation by RNA polymerase I in vitro. Methods in Molecular Biology 809: 579-591.  22113301  
Schneider DA (2012). RNA polymerase I activity is regulated at multiple steps in the transcription cycle: recent insights into factors that influence transcription elongation. Gene 493: 176–184.  21893173  
Bedwell GJ, Appling FD, Anderson SJ, Schneider DA (2012). Efficient Transcription by RNA Polymerase I using Recombinant Core Factor. Gene 492: 94-99.  22093875  
Viktorovskaya OV, Appling FD, Schneider DA (2011). Yeast transcription elongation factor SPT5 associates with RNA polymerase I and RNA polymerase II directly. J. Biol. Chem.  21467036 
Anderson SJ, Sikes ML, Zhang Y, French SL, Salgia S, Beyer AL, Nomura M, Schneider DA (2011). The transcription elongation factor Spt5 influences transcription by RNA polymerase I positively and negatively. J. Biol. Chem.   21467039 
Zhang Y, Smith IV AD, Renfrow MB, Schneider DA (2010) The RNA polymerase-associated factor 1 complex (Paf1C) directly increases the elongation rate of RNA polymerase I and is required for efficient regulation of rRNA synthesis. J. Biol. Chem. 285: 14152-14159. PMC2863250   20299458 
Clemente-Blanco A, Mayán-Santos M, Schneider DA, Machín F, Jarmuz A, Tschochner H, Aragón L (2009). Cdc14 inhibits transcription by RNA polymerase I during anaphase. Nature 458: 219-222.  19158678 
Zhang Y, Sikes ML, Beyer AL, Schneider DA (2009). The Paf1 complex is required for efficient transcription elongation by RNA polymerase I. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 106: 2153-2158. PMC2650124  19164765 
French SL, Osheim YN, Schneider DA, Sikes ML, Fernandez CF, Copela LA, Misra VA, Nomura M, Wolin SL, Beyer AL (2008). Visual analysis of the yeast 5S rRNA gene transcriptome: Regulation and role of La protein. Mol. Cell Biol. 28: 4576-4587.  18474615 
Schneider DA, Michel A, Sikes MJ, Vu L, Dodd J, Salgia SR, Osheim YN, Beyer AL, and Nomura M (2007). Transcription elongation by RNA polymerase I is linked to efficient rRNA processing and ribosome assembly. Mol. Cell. 26: 217-229.  17466624 
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Keywords
cancer, gene expression, post-translational control, ribosomes

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