Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1994)
NSF-NATO Postdoctoral Fellow (1994-1995)
NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Enzyme Research at the University of Wisconsin (1996-1999)
Known for
Biochemistry research with iron-sulfur clusters enzymes
Awards
Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (2004)
American Chemical Society Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (2011)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator (2015)
Associate Editor for the American Chemical Society Biochemistry Journal (2019)
Scientific career
Institutions
Penn State University (1999-Present)
Squire Booker is an American biochemist at
Penn State University.[1] Booker directs an interdisciplinary chemistry research program related to fields of biochemistry, enzymology, protein chemistry, natural product biosynthesis, and mechanisms of radical dependent enzymes.[1][2] He is an associate editor for the
American Chemical Society Biochemistry Journal,[2] is a Hughes Medical Institute Investigator,[1][2][3] and an Eberly Distinguished Chair in Science at Penn State University.[1][4]
Early life
Booker was born September 9, 1965. He grew up in the segregated community of
Beaumont, Texas. He was raised by his grandmother with the help of three uncles.[5][6][7] Squire Booker's career was particularly influenced by two of his uncles. One worked at
NASA and sparked his interest in astronomy, while the other was a math teacher who inspired his curiosity for solving complex problems. This led him to choose chemistry as his major in college, which combined his interests in math and science.[8]
Booker is a professor of biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology at Penn State University.[1][2] His research explores how enzymes change their catalytic abilities due to metal ions or metal clusters.[12][13] His research focuses on enzymes containing iron-sulfur clusters which catalyze chemical reactions.[1][14][15] He focuses on the Radical S-adenosylamethionine Superfamily (SAM) which is a group of enzymes that encounters radical chemistry in post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications of DNA.[1][16][17][18]
He also researches many bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, which is found in the nasal cavity and on the skin in humans.[19]S. aureus is problematic because it can mutate into the
superbugmethicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA).[20] There is a protein called Cfr protein in S. aureus that binds to ribosomes which is where translation occurs. Many antibiotics bind to ribosomes which cause bacteria to die. However, when Cfr is expressed, it binds to the ribosome and allows the bacteria to stay alive which is known as methylation[21][22][23]
This research has led Booker to discover that S. aureus expresses a protein, Cfr, which makes it resistant to many
antibiotics.[24] He developed mechanism of this methylation.[25][26] Booker's lab also researches aspects of the bacterium, Escherichia coli.[27][28][29] He determined the three-dimensional structure of the RImN protein from the bacteria. RImN is one of two proteins which makes chemical modification to different RNA molecules. Understanding this structure will help with other research of
antibiotic resistance.[30][31] As a result of his research, he is synthesizing new compounds to stop the bacteria's defenses which would make antibiotics more effective.[2][32] The goal of his research to design compounds which can prevent infections due to drug-resistant bacteria.[32][33]
Activism
Booker is active in promoting diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (
STEM) especially towards undergraduate and graduate students. He was a chair on the Minority Affairs Committee of the American Association of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.[9] In 2010, he helped organize a workshop which discussed the different obstacles and challenges that minorities in biochemistry and molecular biology encounter when building externally funded research programs.[34][35]
Booker was the guest speaker at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's 2019 Investiture of Doctoral Hoods and Degree Conferral Ceremony.[6] He was chosen due to his impressive contributions to the scientific community and his activism towards inclusion of all in STEM. In his speech, he emphasized an opportunity for all in science.[5] He encouraged the graduates to take responsibility and give back to society. It does not matter what one's background is in, people in STEM need to be willing to accept and stand up for each other.[7][6]
Honors and awards
Booker has received numerous honor and awards:
2022 Hans Neurath Award from the Protein Society[36]
Booker has published over 100 scientific publications in journals such as the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.[9] Here are some of the most cited publications:
^Cicchillo, Robert M.; Iwig, David F.; Jones, A. Daniel; Nesbitt, Natasha M.; Baleanu-Gogonea, Camelia; Souder, Matthew G.; Tu, Loretta; Booker, Squire J. (June 2004). "Lipoyl Synthase Requires Two Equivalents ofS-Adenosyl-l-methionine To Synthesize One Equivalent of Lipoic Acid†". Biochemistry. 43 (21): 6378–6386.
doi:
10.1021/bi049528x.
ISSN0006-2960.
PMID15157071.
^Lieder, Kafryn W.; Booker, Squire; Ruzicka, Frank J.; Beinert, Helmut; Reed, George H.; Frey, Perry A. (February 1998). "S-Adenosylmethionine-Dependent Reduction of Lysine 2,3-Aminomutase and Observation of the Catalytically Functional Iron−Sulfur Centers by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance†". Biochemistry. 37 (8): 2578–2585.
doi:
10.1021/bi972417w.
ISSN0006-2960.
PMID9485408.
^Blaszczyk, Anthony J.; Silakov, Alexey; Zhang, Bo; Maiocco, Stephanie J.; Lanz, Nicholas D.; Kelly, Wendy L.; Elliott, Sean J.; Krebs, Carsten; Booker, Squire J. (2016-03-03). "Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Characterization of the Iron–Sulfur and Cobalamin Cofactors of TsrM, an Unusual Radical S-Adenosylmethionine Methylase". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 138 (10): 3416–3426.
doi:
10.1021/jacs.5b12592.
ISSN0002-7863.
PMID26841310.
^"Effective antibiotics are in sight after scientists unlock secrets of superbug". Nursing Standard. 26 (4): 17. 2011-09-28.
doi:
10.7748/ns.26.4.17.s23.
ISSN0029-6570.
^Rajakovich, Lauren J.; Nørgaard, Hanne; Warui, Douglas M.; Chang, Wei-chen; Li, Ning; Booker, Squire J.; Krebs, Carsten; Bollinger, J. Martin; Pandelia, Maria-Eirini (2015-09-02). "Rapid Reduction of the Diferric-Peroxyhemiacetal Intermediate in Aldehyde-Deformylating Oxygenase by a Cyanobacterial Ferredoxin: Evidence for a Free-Radical Mechanism". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 137 (36): 11695–11709.
doi:
10.1021/jacs.5b06345.
ISSN0002-7863.
PMID26284355.
^"Psychologist Steven Breckler named fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science". 2008.
doi:
10.1037/e539992008-001. {{
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