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"
  

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 was involved in curriculum modification for several biochemistry courses and the development of our undergraduate B.S. Biochemistry and B.S. Molecular Biology Degree programs. I also 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 584 --- Biochemistry (physiology & molecular biology) laboratory
• Chemistry 586 --- Recombinant DNA laboratory (molecular biology)
• Chemistry 367 --- Physical chemistry for biology majors
• B.S. Biochemistry Degree.
• B.S. Molecular Biology Degree.

II. University Citizenship

I participated fully in departmental, college and university committees, some of which are listed below:

• Chair of the Graduate Section of Biochemistry
• Chair of the Institutional BioSafety Committee
• Member of the Pre-professional advisory committee
• Member of the University Molecular Biology Steering Committee
• Member of the Chemistry Department Budget Committee
• Member of the Chemistry Department Safety Committee
• Member of the Graduate Admissions and Assignments Committee
• Chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee

III. Research Background:

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. Selected Scientific Publications:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Bragg, T. and D.L. Robertson. 1989. Nucleotide sequence and analysis of the Bacillus anthracis lethal factor gene (lef). Gene 81:45-54.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
   

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