Kathleen McGinness

Education/Work Experience

• Postdoc in the Sauer Lab at MIT

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 2001 (with Gerald Joyce)

• B.S. in Chemistry, University of Maryland College Park, 1996

• B.S. in Psychology, University of Maryland College Park, 1996

Science stuff I know something about...

• in vitro RNA techniques

• in vitro selection and evolution of nucleic acids

• generation of nucleic acid and protein libraries

• nucleic acid-protein interactions

• fishing experiments to look for things that interact with your RNA/DNA/protein of interest

• PCR (even colony PCR, although it is not a separate skill)

• bacterial protein expression/purification

• in vivo assays with E. coli i.e. analyzing effects on proteins/RNA

• molecular cloning

• Western/Northern/Southern blot analysis

• oligonucleotide synthesis

• RNA/DNA sequencing

• structural probing of RNA/DNA

• gels, all kinds of gels: agarose, native acrylamide, denaturing acrylamide, SDS-acrylamide, two-dimensional

• enzyme kinetics

• radiolabeling nucleic acids and proteins

• tmRNA (or SsrA/10Sa RNA for you purists)

• translation

• energy-dependent proteolysis in bacteria

• The RNA World

• T7 RNA polymerase promoter preferences in vitro

• molecular biology in a world without kits

Publications

Ribosomal protein S1 binds mRNA and tmRNA similarly but plays distinct roles in translation of these molecules.

McGinness, K.E. & Sauer, R.T. (2004) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 13454–13459.

A Glimpse into tmRNA-mediated Ribosome Rescue.

Moore, S.D., McGinness, K.E. & Sauer, R.T. (2003) Science 300, 127–130. (comment)

In Search of an RNA Replicase Ribozyme.

McGinness, K.E. & Joyce, G.F. (2003) Chem. Biol. 10, 5–14. (review)

Continuous In Vitro Evolution of a Ribozyme that Catalyzes Three Successive Nucleotidyl Addition Reactions.

McGinness, K.E., Wright, M.C. & Joyce, G.F. (2002) Chem. Biol. 9, 585–596.

RNA-Catalyzed RNA Ligation on an External RNA Template.

McGinness, K.E. & Joyce, G.F. (2002) Chem. Biol. 9, 297–307.

Substitution of Ribonucleotides in the T7 RNA Polymerase Promoter Element.

McGinness, K.E. & Joyce, G.F. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 2987–2991.

"Personal"

Bio

I'm a fourth (at least!) generation Marylander who grew up in the happy Washington, D.C. suburb of Derwood. I began my college career majoring in Biology at Penn State, but after realizing that the bustling metropolis of State College was not for me, I transferred to the University of Maryland. When I started at Maryland, I realized that although I support the need for animal research, I don't have the stomach for it. So, I decided to change my major to Chemistry, and threw in a major in Psychology for good measure. While at Maryland, I had the opportunity to work in the Laboratory of Neurochemistry and the Laboratory of General and Comparative Biochemistry at NIMH (yes, where the rats are from). I also got my first introduction into the RNA world by working in Sarah Woodson's lab while she was at Maryland. After four years (yes, that makes it a 5 year plan for college!), I packed up my worldly possessions and headed to sunny So. Cal. to do my graduate work at Scripps with Jerry Joyce, solidifying my love of the RNA world. Much like Sri, I fell in love with CA. So, after completing my Ph.D. in chemistry (biochemistry, really), I returned to the east coast to work at MIT. In Bob Sauer's lab I have expanded my science into the protein world, but I'm still an RNA girl at heart. When I get the time, I'll put up some of my current research here.

Random Stuff

• My new favorite website detailing an alternative theory to evolution (WWFSMD?).
• Lab-related pet peeves (partial list...)
  • beeping timers
  • people from other labs that come in asking for something and don't introduce themselves first (is it so hard to say,"Hi, I'm <insert name here> from the <insert PI name here> lab"??)
• I have the messiest bench (and desk) in the lab. Paradoxically, I am a tyrant about cleanliness in common lab areas.
• KM's soapbox

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