Raymond L. Erikson (January 24, 1936 – March 30, 2020) was a molecular biologist and virologist who noted research on cell growth and regulation.
He also served as the John F. Drum
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...
Professor of Cellular and Developmental Biology at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.
Childhood
Erikson was born in
Eagle, Wisconsin
Eagle is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 1,950. The village is located within the Town of Eagle.
History
The town's name comes from an 1836 incident when pioneer Thomas Sugden and t ...
, on a dairy farm that was settled by his father and grandfather.
Erikson was the oldest of two children.
Being from a small village, Erikson went to school in a one-room school house before going off to college.
Collegiate career
Erikson went to the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
with the intent of being an
agricultural science
Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...
s teacher.
It was not until his junior year where he gained interest in molecular biology after taking a course at college.
After taking the course, Erikson developed a passion for molecular biology. In 1958, Erikson enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's graduate school where he worked with Dr.
Waclaw Szybalski.
In 1963, Erikson had earned a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
Professional career
Upon completion of his Ph.D., Erikson moved out to Colorado and began pursuing a career in molecular biology research. Erikson spent a sabbatical (1972–1973) at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories, where he became immersed in avian sarcoma virus-mediated transformation of cells. After his
sabbatical
A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work.
The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of ''shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to ...
, in 1976 at the Richard M. Franklin at
University of Colorado School of Medicine
The University of Colorado School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Colorado system. It is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, one of the four University of Colorado campuses, six miles east of downtown ...
, he researched
RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...
bacteriophage
A bacteriophage (), also known informally as a ''phage'' (), is a duplodnaviria virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek φαγεῖν ('), meaning "to devour". Bacteri ...
s.
After focusing on
RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...
bacteriophage
A bacteriophage (), also known informally as a ''phage'' (), is a duplodnaviria virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek φαγεῖν ('), meaning "to devour". Bacteri ...
s, Erikson led a research team to begin research on the oncogene
v-Src
v-Src is a gene found in Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) that encodes a tyrosine kinase that causes a type of cancer in chickens.
The src gene is oncogenic as it triggers uncontrolled growth in abnormal host cells. It was the first retroviral oncogene ...
.
In 1977, Erikson and his research team had a breakthrough.
One of the researchers was able to identify the
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
associated with
v-Src
v-Src is a gene found in Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) that encodes a tyrosine kinase that causes a type of cancer in chickens.
The src gene is oncogenic as it triggers uncontrolled growth in abnormal host cells. It was the first retroviral oncogene ...
. This protein led to the determination of the pathway
Src uses to cause
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
. This pathway is considered to be one of the most important
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
promoting
signal cascade
Signal transduction is the process by which a chemical or physical signal is transmitted through a cell as a biochemical cascade, series of molecular events, most commonly protein phosphorylation catalyzed by protein kinases, which ultimately re ...
s.
The pathway was not the only discovery in this lab at the time. Another discovery was that the
Src was a threonine kinase. A standard methodology at the time was used in the lab to determine this
phosphoamino acid.
In 1982, Erikson decided to join the molecular and
cellular 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 and ...
department at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.
While at Harvard, Erikson was recognized for his contributions and discoveries about the v-Src
oncogene
An oncogene is a gene that has the potential to cause cancer. In tumor cells, these genes are often mutated, or expressed at high levels. .Some of the awards he earned included the
Lasker Award
The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1945 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, which was f ...
(1982), the
Robert Koch Prize
The Robert Koch Medal and Award are two prizes awarded annually by the German for excellence in the biomedical sciences. These awards grew out of early attempts by German physician Robert Koch to generate funding to support his research into the ...
(1982), the
Alfred P. Sloan Award (1983), and the Hammer Prize for Cancer Research (1983).
After finishing up his research of v-Src, Erikson encouraged his students to look into cell alterations such as morphology, motility and metabolism. One of these downstream alterations occurred in a ERK-MAP pathway. The alteration in this pathway was caused by a Ras oncogene. This discovery led to MEK inhibitors approved by the
FDA
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food s ...
for
cancer treatment
Cancer can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy (including immunotherapy such as monoclonal antibody therapy) and synthetic lethality, most commonly as a series of separate treatments (e.g. ...
.
Another downstream alteration discovered was
COX2
Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2, also known as cytochrome c oxidase polypeptide II, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MT-CO2 gene. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit II, abbreviated COXII, COX2, COII, or MT-CO2, is the second subunit of c ...
. This pathway led to the inhibition of
tyrosine kinase
A tyrosine kinase is an enzyme that can transfer a phosphate group from ATP to the tyrosine residues of specific proteins inside a cell. It functions as an "on" or "off" switch in many cellular functions.
Tyrosine kinases belong to a larger cla ...
s.
In cell cycle division, Erikson's lab focused on
PLK1
Serine/threonine-protein kinase PLK1, also known as polo-like kinase 1 (PLK-1) or serine/threonine-protein kinase 13 (STPK13), is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''PLK1'' (polo-like kinase 1) gene.
Structure
PLK1 consists of 603 ami ...
and saw that an increase in
PLK1
Serine/threonine-protein kinase PLK1, also known as polo-like kinase 1 (PLK-1) or serine/threonine-protein kinase 13 (STPK13), is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''PLK1'' (polo-like kinase 1) gene.
Structure
PLK1 consists of 603 ami ...
can lead to carcinogenic cells.
Another aspect the lab focused on was
RNAi
RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which RNA molecules are involved in sequence-specific suppression of gene expression by double-stranded RNA, through translational or transcriptional repression. Historically, RNAi was known by o ...
and saw carcinogenic cells with
RNAi
RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which RNA molecules are involved in sequence-specific suppression of gene expression by double-stranded RNA, through translational or transcriptional repression. Historically, RNAi was known by o ...
present division decreased by 80%.
Later in his career, Erikson served as the John F. Drum
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...
Professor of Cellular and Developmental Biology.
Personal life
Erikson met his first wife Eleanor (Jo) Erikson while working in a lab under Dr.
Waclaw Szybalski.
The two divorced after sometime. He later remarried to his second wife Donna. They were married for 32 years until his passing and had a daughter named Amanda.
References
External links
Harvard Biophysics Faculty page for Raymond L. Erikson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erikson, Raymond L.
1936 births
2020 deaths
Harvard University faculty
American molecular biologists
American virologists
American cancer researchers
People from Eagle, Wisconsin