Wayne L. Hubbell (born 24 March 1943) is an American

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

and member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

. He is Professor of Biochemistry and Jules Stein Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on the visual system, and is primarily supported by a grant from the National Eye Institute.

Research

Dr. Hubbell has studied the relationship between the

molecular structure Molecular geometry is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms that constitute a molecule. It includes the general shape of the molecule as well as bond lengths, bond angles, torsional angles and any other geometrical parameters that determ ...

of protein and the conformational changes that control its function. Of particular interest are

membrane proteins Membrane proteins are common proteins that are part of, or interact with, biological membranes. Membrane proteins fall into several broad categories depending on their location. Integral membrane proteins are a permanent part of a cell membrane ...

that behave as "molecular switches", i.e., proteins whose structures are switched to an active state by a physical or chemical signals. An example is light-activated

rhodopsin Rhodopsin, also known as visual purple, is a protein encoded by the RHO gene and a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). It is the opsin of the rod cells in the retina and a light-sensitive receptor protein that triggers visual phototransduction ...

, the visual pigment in photoreceptor cells of the retina. The goal is to elucidate the structure of rhodopsin, the mechanism of the molecular switch, and regulation of this switch by associated proteins,

transducin Transducin (Gt) is a protein naturally expressed in vertebrate retina rods and cones and it is very important in vertebrate phototransduction. It is a type of heterotrimeric G-protein with different α subunits in rod and cone photoreceptors. ...

and arrestin. Dr. Hubbell's research also includes structure and function relationships in water-soluble proteins such as the lens protein, a-crystallin, and the

retinoid The retinoids are a class of chemical compounds that are vitamers of vitamin A or are chemically related to it. Retinoids have found use in medicine where they regulate epithelial cell growth. Retinoids have many important functions throughout t ...

carrying proteins which transport vitamin A throughout photoreceptor cells. Dr. Hubbell's laboratory developed site-directed spin labeling (SDSL), a technique for the exploration of protein structure and dynamics. By changing the genetic code, a specific attachment point in the protein is created for a nitroxide spin label probe. Analysis of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of the spin label provides information about the local environment in the protein. With a sufficiently large set of labeled proteins, global information on structure is obtained, and most importantly, changes in the structure during function can be followed in real time.

Education and training

*BS, Oregon State University, 1965 *Ph.D.,

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, 1970 *AFORSR-NRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemistry,

Awards and honors

*Westinghouse Science Talent Search Finalist, 1961 *

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is an American philanthropic nonprofit organization. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., then-president and chief executive officer of General Motors. The Sloan Foundation makes grants to support or ...

Fellow, 1973 *Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teacher-Scholar Award, 1975–80 *Research to Prevent Blindness Senior Investigator Award, 1990 * National Institutes of Health MERIT Award, 1990 *

Biophysical Society The Biophysical Society is an international scientific society whose purpose is to lead the development and dissemination of knowledge in biophysics. Founded in 1958, the Society currently consists of over 7,500 members in academia, government, an ...

's Elisabeth Roberts Cole Award, 1991 *Alcon Research Institute Award, 1994 *Alexander M. Cruickshank Lecturer, 1997 *Honorary degree, University of Pécs, Hungary, 1998 *Fellow of the Biophysical Society, 2000 (first class) *Gold Medal, International EPR Society, 2000 *International Zavoisky Award in EPR, 2003 *Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2001 *Bruker Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry-ESR Group, 2004 *Member of the

, 2005 * Christian B. Anfinsen Award, 2009

References

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External links

Hubbell Lab homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbell, Wayne L. American biochemists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences 1943 births Living people Oregon State University alumni University of California, Los Angeles faculty