NAME: Donald L. Robertson, Ph.D. (E-mail: DONinLA@pacbell.net)

PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS:

• University Professor: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Brigham Young University; Provo, Utah 84602
  
  • Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry (1993-1995)
  • Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry (1985-1993)
  • Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry (1980-1985)

• Community College Professor: MiraCosta College (8/99-present); Santa Monica College (8/98-6/99); El Camino College (8/98-6/99); LA Pierce College (9/97-12/98); Glendale College (8/97-5/98); Pasadena City College (1/98-5/98)

• Biotechnology Consultant: Stratagene Corporation consultant from September 1993 - August 1995.

• Post-doctoral: University of California San Francisco (1977-1980); Department of Microbiology and Immunology (with Dr. Harold E. Varmus; current Director NIH); School of Medicine; San Francisco, CA 94143

EDUCATION:

• Ph.D. Department of Biological Chemistry (1972-1976); Washington University Medical School (with Dr. Robert E. Thach); 660 So. Euclid Ave.; St. Louis, MO 63110

• B.S. Department of Chemistry (1970-1972); Brigham Young University; Provo, UT 84602

• Department of Chemical Engineering (1966-1968); University of Idaho; Moscow, ID 83843

HONORS:

• Graduated Cum Laude, Brigham Young University (1972)
• USPHS Pre-doctoral fellowship, Washington Univ. (1972-76)
• Junior Research Fellowship, American Cancer Society, California Division (1977-78)
• Senior Research Fellowship, American Cancer Society, California Division (1979-80)
• Summer Faculty Research and Engineering Program, USAMRIID, Ft. Detrick (1984)
• National Research Council, Senior Research Associate, USAMRIID, Ft. Detrick (1986-87); Professional Development Leave (sabbatical)
• U.S. Patent 5,814,493: "Viruses and expression vectors containing LTR size variants"

MEMBERSHIPS:

• American Society for Microbiology
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Chemical Society
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

I. University Teaching Experience

I enjoy teaching and strive to make my courses relevant and understandable. BYU is primarily considered to be an undergraduate teaching institution. I have taught both upper and lower division chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and related laboratory courses. At the community college level, I have taught general, organic and biochemistry courses. I believe that my combined university and community college teaching experience has given me the ability to understand the needs of my students better. My experience working with the biotechnology industry brings a perspective to my teaching that helps prepare students for career opportunities in this area.

I consider the needs of the student paramount. As a result, I developed classes at BYU (biochemistry of the nucleic acids and the recombinant DNA lab) which are now required for the biochemistry and molecular biology degrees. I also provided significant input for the content for the biochemistry lab, biochemistry seminar and biophysical chemistry courses. In addition, I helped to implement the B.S. Biochemistry and B.S. Molecular Biology degrees. Because I stay current in the scientific literature I can incorporate up-to-date concepts and principles in my lectures. I put together a laboratory manual for the recombinant DNA (molecular biology) lab which teaches my students the fundamentals of biotechnology. The community college students who take my classes know that their preparation is as good as they will get at a university. I am sensitive to their individual needs but challenge them to think. My students learn to apply concepts and principles to solving problems instead of just memorizing details.

I have a keen interest in my students and try to get to know them better. When teaching courses for which ACS-standardized exams are available, students in my classes typically score higher than the 80th percentile, indicating a thorough covering of the course material in an understandable manner. Through the years, my student evaluations have consistently ranked me higher than the college and departmental averages. My student evaluations at the community colleges have been very strong, including comments such as, "Dr. Robertson presented the material in an unstandable manner, and, Dr. Robertson is the first chemistry instructor to make chemistry interesting to me."

A. Courses Taught:

• Brigham Young University:
  • Chemistry 100 --- Elementary college chemistry
  • Chemistry 102 --- Introductory general chemistry
  • Chemistry 103 --- Introductory chemistry laboratory
  • Chemistry 152 --- Introductory organic chemistry
  • Chemistry 181 --- Introductory physiological chemistry
  • Chemistry 481 --- Biochemistry
  • Chemistry 582 --- Biochemistry of nucleic acids (new class developed by me)
  • Chemistry 584 --- Biochemistry laboratory
  • Chemistry 585 --- Biochemistry graduate seminar
  • Chemistry 586 --- Recombinant DNA (molecular biology) lab (new class developed by me)
  • Chemistry 689R --- Biochemistry of the nucleic acids (new class developed by me)
    
• Other Colleges:
  • Introductory College Chemistry  --- LA Pierce College, Santa Monica College & El Camino College
  • Organic Chemistry (2-semester course) --- MiraCosta College & Glendale College
  • General College Chemistry --- MiraCosta College & Santa Monica College
  • Introductory Organic and Biochemistry --- Pasadena City College

I have also been a guest lecturer in a number of cell biology, microbiology and molecular biology classes on topics ranging from the ribosomal RNAs and ribosome structure to protein synthesis, retroviruses, and oncogenes.

B. Curriculum Modification and Development

I have been involved in curriculum modification for several graduate biochemistry courses as well as the development of our undergraduate B.S. Biochemistry and B.S. Molecular Biology Degree programs. I assisted in the development of the University-wide undergraduate molecular biology degree programs and the university-wide graduate program in molecular biology. I list here some of the courses and programs for which I had major input.

Chemistry 582. When I joined the BYU faculty in 1980, the content of this course was more or less and extension, and sometimes merely a more in depth approach, to what was taught in Chemistry 481. With a need for an advanced biochemistry course to complement, not duplicate, Chem. 481, I put together Chem. 582 which emphasizes nucleic acid biochemistry and molecular biology.

Chemistry 584. The biochemistry laboratory has been extensively modified since 1980. I helped to changed many aspects of this could, from an updated enzyme isolation section to an emphasis on nucleic acid biochemistry and molecular biology, which comprises about 30% of the course. Computer usage was required for many aspects of this course.

Chemistry 586. This course was started in 1984 to teach recombinant DNA techniques. This course was established to teach the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art techniques and procedures. I also put together a lab manual for this course. We include experiments on growing bacteriophages and isolating their DNA, preparation of plasmids, site-specific mutagenesis, DNA sequencing, etc. Extensive computer usage was implemented for this course.

Chemistry 367. As part of the curriculum for the Molecular Biology degree, a one semester course in physical chemistry was put together for biology majors. This course is designed to introduce the molecular biology student to aspects of physical chemistry which have application to biological systems and molecules. Topics include thermodynamics, reaction kinetics (enzyme and non-enzyme), equilibria, physical methods and techniques, spectroscopy, etc. Applications are geared towards biological molecules, including macromolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipid membranes.

B.S. Biochemistry Degree. In the early 1980's, we developed the Chemistry Department's undergraduate biochemistry degree. By the early 1990's, over half of the seniors in the Department of Chemistry were biochemistry majors. At this time, about 50% of the incoming Freshmen students were biochemistry majors, showing that this undergraduate major is recognized and is a desirable degree for many of our students.

B.S. Molecular Biology Degree. By the mid-1980's, BYU was desirous of establishing a molecular biology degree program. I had already developed the recombinant DNA laboratory (Chem. 586), which became a major part of the undergraduate molecular degree. Like our biochemistry degree, this molecular biology degree gives the student a rigorous curriculum with great flexibility for those students wishing to enter graduate school in biochemistry or molecular biology as well as medical or dental school.

C. Comments on Teaching Ability

Prior to my advancement to the rank of professor, Dr. Nolan Mangelson, Chair of the Chemistry Faculty Advancement Committee, stated the following (December 27, 1988):

"The committee members agree that Don Robertson is progressing well on a course that should lead to a rank advancement step when the review is held in 1990.

Don's teaching appears to be excellent and he has been involved on several occasions in the development of course material and in curriculum development. The committee has not seen the results of student evaluations but plan to review this aspect of his teaching evaluation after winter semester.

Don has shown a consistent commitment to the department and the university. This is exemplified by his current position as Chairman of the Graduate Section of Biochemistry and his membership on the University BioSafety committee.

The committee suggests that Don be commended for his active participation in the development of the department, his interest and commitment to students and for the contribution he is making in the scientific community."

As indicated above, I have taught a variety of chemistry and biology related courses. I always try to teach material that emphasizes the importance of an integration of chemical and biochemical concepts so that the student has to think and not merely memorize details. I include a short letter I received anonymously from a former student in Chem. 481 (biochemistry):

Dr. Robertson,

"In behalf of those who took your Chemistry 481 class last winter semester and are now either up at the U. of Utah Medical Center or the U. of Washington Dental School, I just wanted you to know that your method of teaching and our class notes have been a great aid in our classes now.

Thanks,"

II. University Citizenship

While at BYU, I actively participated in departmental, college and university committees. I believe that two significant assignments, which took a great deal of time and effort, were those when I served as Chair of the Graduate Section of Biochemistry and as a member of the Molecular Biology Steering Committee. During this time, I was instrumental in changing the content of several courses and of the degree offered by the department to provide an opportunity for students to major in biochemistry and molecular biology in preparation for professional or graduate school programs.

A. University Committee Assignments

• Chair of the Graduate Section of Biochemistry (within the Chemistry Department) from June 1987 to October 1991. As Chair, I conducted advisement for both undergraduate and graduate students and was heavily involved in establishing the undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology degree programs.
• Chair of the Institutional BioSafety Committee from 1981 to 1986. This committee oversees recombinant DNA use on campus. After being released as Chair, I served as a member until 1990.
• Member of the Pre-professional advisory committee from 1985 to 1988. Responsibilities include interviewing, screening and recommending premedical students.
• Member of the University Molecular Biology Steering Committee (1987-1991) which oversees the undergraduate and graduate molecular biology programs at BYU.

B. Department Committee Assignments

• Member of the Chemistry Department Budget Committee from 1987-1991.
• Member of the Chemistry Department Safety Committee while serving as Chair of the University Institutional BioSafety Committee.
• Member of the Graduate Admissions and Assignments Committee from 1987-1991.
• Member of the ad hoc committee for capital equipment purchases, from 1988-1990.
• Chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee for 1988-89.
• Chair of the Chemistry Department Library Committee being responsible for chemistry related acquisitions for the University Harold B. Lee Library from 1980-1984.
• Member of the Chemistry Department Graduate Program Review Committee for 1990-91.

III. Scientific Research:

Research with mouse mammary tumor virus. For several years, I have studied mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV), specifically, the effects of glucocorticoid hormones on MMTV gene expression. We recently discovered (patent pending) that the MMTV glucocorticoid response element (GRE), which is required for hormone- induced transcription, has been duplicated within the large terminal repeat (LTR) isolated from a cell line which was originally infected with the C3H strain of MMTV. These variant MMTV LTRs have been used for inducible expression of heterologous genes.

Retrovirus oncogene research. I also studied genetic differences between normal and cancer cells using tumor viruses and their oncogenes. This approach allows us to determine the biochemical and genetic changes required for neoplastic transformation. We have studied cells transformed by the v-src, v-mos, v-myc, v-abl, v-fos, v-fes or v-ras oncogenes. When these transformed cells are treated with cyclic AMP (cAMP), or related analogs (e.g., 8-chloro-cAMP), a complete reversal of the transformed phenotypes are observed.

Bacillus anthracis gene expression. We have also used different Bacillus spp., including Bacillus anthracis, to develop a high-level, inducible Bacillus-based gene expression systems for the high-level production and secretion of proteins. We have constructed several plasmid vectors that can be used for the production and secretion of proteins (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) whose genes are placed downstream from the T7 RNA polymerase promoter. Proteins produced in these bacilli are secreted for easier purification. Other modified bacilli are being used for vaccine development against the highly virulent and lethal B. anthracis, which causes anthrax.

IV. Refereed Publications:

1. Cannon, J.F., D.L. Robertson, and H.T. Hall. 1972. The synthesis of lanthanide-iron Laves phases at high pressures and temperatures. Materials Res. Bull. 7:5-11.
2. Robertson, D.L., J.F. Cannon, and H.T. Hall. 1972. High pressure and high-temperature synthesis of LaCo₂. Materials Res. Bull. 7:977-982.
3. Cannon, J.F., D.L. Robertson, and H.T. Hall. 1972. The effect of high pressure on the formation of LRu₂ and LOs₂ (L=lanthanide) compounds. J. Less-Common Metals 29:141- 146.
4. Cannon, J.F., D.L. Robertson, H.T. Hall, and A.C. Lawson. 1973. The effect of high pressure on the crystal structure of LaOs₂ and CeOs₂. J. Less-Common Metals 31:174- 176.
5. Lawson, A.C., J.F. Cannon, D.L. Robertson, and H.T. Hall. 1973. Superconductivity of lanthanum-osmium (LaOs₂). J. Less-Common Metals 32:173-174.
6. Cannon, J.F., D.L. Robertson, H.T. Hall, and A.C. Lawson. 1974. High pressure of -tungsten-type triniobium telluride. J. Phys. Chem. Solids. 35:1181-1182.
7. Thach, R.E., D.L. Robertson, N.L. Baenziger, and D. Dobbertin. 1974. Reverse transcriptase associated with A-type particles from murine myeloma cells. Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology 39:963-968.
8. Robertson, D.L., N.L. Baenziger, D. Dobbertin, and R.E. Thach. 1975. Characterization of DNA polymerase and RNA associated with A-type particles from murine myeloma cells. J. Virol. 15:407-415.
9. Robertson, D.L., P. Yau, D. Dobbertin, T.K. Sweeney, S. Thach, and R.E. Thach. 1976. Relationships between intracisternal type A and extracellular oncornavirus-like particles in murine MOPC-460 myeloma cells. J. Virol. 18:334-355.
10. Robertson, D.L., and H.E. Varmus. 1979. Structural analysis of the intracellular RNAs of murine mammary tumor virus. J. Virol. 30:576-589.
11. Robertson, D.L., P. Jhabvala, T. Geodfrey-Colburn, and R.E. Thach. 1979. Characterization of the proteins of intracisternal type A and extracellular oncornavirus-like particles produced by MOPC-460 myeloma cells. J. Virol. 32:114-122.
12. Robertson, D.L., and H.E. Varmus. 1981. Dexamethasone induction of the intracellular RNAs of mouse mammary tumor virus. J. Virol. 40:673-682.
13. Robertson, D.L. 1984. Dexamethasone stimulated expression of a proviral copy of the env mRNA of mouse mammary tumor virus. J. Virol. 50:632-635.
14. Robertson, D.L. 1984. S1 nuclease analysis of a deleted mouse mammary tumor virus DNA. Virus Research 1:649-654.
15. Leppla, S.H., D.L. Robertson, S.L. Welkos, L.A. Smith, and M.H. Vodkin. 1986. Cloning and analysis of genes for anthrax toxin components, pp. 275-278. In Bacterial protein toxins, Suppl. 15. Zentralblatt für bakteriologie und hygiene. l. Abteilung. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart.
16. Robertson, D.L., and S.H. Leppla. 1986. Molecular cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of the lethal factor gene of Bacillus anthracis. Gene 44:71-78.
17. Kaspar, R.L. and D.L. Robertson. 1987. Purification and analysis of Bacillus anthracis plasmids pXO1 and pXO2. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 149:362-368.
18. Tippetts, M.T. and D.L. Robertson 1988. Molecular cloning and expression of the Bacillus anthracis edema factor toxin gene (cya): A calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase. J. Bacteriol. 170:2633-2636.
19. Robertson, D.L., M.T. Tippetts and S.H. Leppla. 1988. Nucleotide sequence of the Bacillus anthracis edema factor (cya) gene: A calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase. Gene 73:363- 371.
20. Robertson, D.L. 1988. Relationships between the calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclases produced by Bacillus anthracis and Bordetella pertussis. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 157:1027-1032.
21. Bragg, T. and D.L. Robertson. 1989. Nucleotide sequence and analysis of the Bacillus anthracis lethal factor gene (lef). Gene 81:45-54.
22. Robertson, D.L., T.S. Bragg, S.C. Simpson, R. Kaspar, W. Xie, and M.T. Tippetts. 1990. Mapping and characterization of the Bacillus anthracis plasmids pXO1 and pXO2. Salisbury Medical Bulletin 68:55-58.
23. Robertson, D.L. and T.S. Bragg. 1990. Nucleotide sequence of the lethal factor (lef) and edema factor (cya) genes from Bacillus anthracis: Elucidation of the EF and LF functional domains. Salisbury Medical Bulletin 68:59.
24. Tippetts, M.T., D.L. Robertson and M.A. Smith. 1991. Complete cloning of the chloroplast genome of safflower in EMBL3 and mapping of the 23S and 16S rRNA genes. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 100:61-70.
25. Xie, W., J.G. Chipman, D.L. Robertson, R.L. Erikson, D.L. Simmons. 1991. Expression of a mitogen-responsive gene encoding prostaglandin synthase is regulated by mRNA splicing. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 88:2692-2696.
26. Carl, M., R. Hawkins, N. Coulson, J. Lowe, D.L. Robertson, W.M. Nelson, R.W. Titball, and J.N. Woody. 1992. Detection of spores of Bacillus anthracis using the polymerase chain reaction. J. Infectious Diseases 165:1145-48.
27. Xie, W., D.L. Robertson, and D.L. Simmons. 1992. Mitogen-inducible prostaglandin G/H synthase: A new target for nonsteroidal antiinflamatory drugs? Drug Development Research 25:249-265.
28. Evett, G.E., Xie, W., Evett, G., Merrill, J., Robertson, D.L., Bradshaw, W.S. 1993. Drug inhibition and cellular regulation of prostaglandin G/H synthase isoenzyme 2. J. Lipid Med. 6:113-117.
29. Evett, G.E., Xie, W., Chipman, J., Robertson, D.L., and Simmons, D.L. (1993) Prostaglandin G/H synthase isoenzyme 2 expression in fibroblasts: Regulation by dexamethasone, mitogens, and oncogenes. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 306:169-177.
30. Robertson, D.L. and F. Spangler. 1996. The use of a regulated T7 RNA polymerase-based transcription system for the expression of the anthrax toxin and heterologous genes in Bacillus anthracis. Salisbury Medical Bulletin 87:94-96.
31. K.L. Fisher and D.L. Robertson. 1997. Characterization of multiple glucocorticoid response elements in the long terminal repeat of mouse mammary tumor virus. Manuscript written, waiting for patent progress.
32. Simpson, S.C., and D.L. Robertson. 1997. Complete cloning, restriction mapping and characterization of the Bacillus anthracis toxin plasmid pXO1. Manuscript in preparation, submitted to Medical Microbiology.
33. Bragg, T.S. and D.L. Robertson. 1996. Construction of a restriction map of the Bacillus anthracis capsule plasmid pXO2. Submitted to Plasmid.
    

Return to CV Index Page