Howard Lipshitz

Lipshitz was born and raised in Durban, South Africa, where he attended the University of Natal (now the University of Kwazulu-Natal), obtaining a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences and Mathematical Statistics (1976) and a B.Sc.(Hons.) cum laude in Biological Sciences (1977). He completed his M. Phil. (1980) and Ph.D. (1983) degrees in Biology at Yale University with Douglas R. Kankel, working on Drosophila developmental neurogenetics. He then carried out postdoctoral research in the Biochemistry Department at Stanford University with David Hogness, where he defined the first long non-coding RNA, from the Bithorax complex of Drosophila.{{cite journal|last1=Lipshitz|first1=H D|last2=Peattie|first2=D A|last3=Hogness|first3=D S|date=1 May 1987|title=Novel transcripts from the Ultrabithorax domain of the bithorax complex.|journal=Genes & Development|volume=1|issue=3|pages=307–322|doi=10.1101/gad.1.3.307|pmid=3119423|doi-access=free}}

In 1986 Lipshitz was appointed an Assistant Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and promoted to Associate Professor in 1992. In 1995 he and his family moved to Toronto, where he held leadership positions at the Hospital for Sick Children's Research Institute (1996–2005) and at the University of Toronto, the latter as chair of its Department of Molecular Genetics (2005–2016). He served on the board of directors of the Society for Developmental Biology (2000–2006) and the Drosophila Board (2006–2009). He is one of the founders of the Rare Diseases Models and Mechanisms Network, Canada,{{cite journal|last1=Boycott|first1=Kym M.|last2=Campeau|first2=Philippe M.|last3=Howley|first3=Heather E.|last4=Pavlidis|first4=Paul|last5=Rogic|first5=Sanja|last6=Oriel|first6=Christine|last7=Berman|first7=Jason N.|last8=Hamilton|first8=Robert M.|last9=Hicks|first9=Geoffrey G.|last10=Lipshitz|first10=Howard D.|last11=Masson|first11=Jean-Yves|date=February 2020|title=The Canadian Rare Diseases Models and Mechanisms (RDMM) Network: Connecting Understudied Genes to Model Organisms|journal=The American Journal of Human Genetics|volume=106|issue=2|pages=143–152|doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.01.009|first15=Christopher R.|last31=Rankin|first27=Richard W.|last28=Pena|first28=Izabella A.|last29=Wen|first29=Xiao-Yan|last30=Lacaze-Masmonteil|first30=Thierry|first31=Catharine|first26=Anthony|last32=Hieter|first32=Philip|first14=Michel R.|last14=Leroux|first13=Anne|last13=Junker|first12=Eric. A.|last12=Shoubridge|last27=Wozniak|last26=Vandersteen|last16=Michaud|first20=Clara D.|first16=Jaques L.|last17=Turvey|first17=Stuart E.|last18=Dyment|last15=McMaster|last19=Innes|first19=A. Micheil|last20=van Karnebeek|last21=Lehman|first25=Patrick|first21=Anna|last22=Cohn|first22=Ronald D.|last23=MacDonald|first23=Ian M.|last24=Rachubinski|first24=Richard A.|last25=Frosk|first18=David|pmid=32032513|pmc=7010971}} serving on its Scientific Advisory Committee since 2011. He was Associate Editor (2011–2016), then Senior Editor (2016–2020) of G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics and in January 2021 was appointed Editor-in-Chief{{cite web|date=30 September 2020|title=Genetics Society of America announces Howard Lipshitz as new Editor in Chief of GENETICS|url=http://genestogenomes.org/genetics-society-of-america-announces-howard-lipshitz-as-new-editor-in-chief-of-genetics/|website=Genes to Genomes}} of Genetics (journal). Both are peer-edited scientific journals published by the Genetics Society of America. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Lipshitz studies embryonic development and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in Drosophila with a focus on mRNA translation, stability and localization during the Maternal to zygotic transition{{cite journal|last1=Vastenhouw|first1=Nadine L.|last2=Cao|first2=Wen Xi|last3=Lipshitz|first3=Howard D.|date=1 June 2019|title=The maternal-to-zygotic transition revisited|journal=Development|volume=146|issue=11|pages=dev161471|doi=10.1242/dev.161471|pmid=31189646|s2cid=189816312|doi-access=free}} and the role of RNA-binding proteins in this process.{{cite journal|last1=Cao|first1=Wen Xi|last2=Kabelitz|first2=Sarah|last3=Gupta|first3=Meera|last4=Yeung|first4=Eyan|last5=Lin|first5=Sichun|last6=Rammelt|first6=Christiane|last7=Ihling|first7=Christian|last8=Pekovic|first8=Filip|last9=Low|first9=Timothy C.H.|last10=Siddiqui|first10=Najeeb U.|last11=Cheng|first11=Matthew H.K.|date=June 2020|title=Precise Temporal Regulation of Post-transcriptional Repressors Is Required for an Orderly Drosophila Maternal-to-Zygotic Transition|journal=Cell Reports|volume=31|issue=12|pages=107783|doi=10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107783|last15=Wahle|last16=Lipshitz|first16=Howard D.|first14=Martin|last14=Wühr|first13=Craig A.|last13=Smibert|first12=Stephane|last12=Angers|first15=Elmar|pmid=32579915|pmc=7372737}}{{cite journal|last1=Tadros|first1=Wael|last2=Goldman|first2=Aaron L.|last3=Babak|first3=Tomas|last4=Menzies|first4=Fiona|last5=Vardy|first5=Leah|last6=Orr-Weaver|first6=Terry|last7=Hughes|first7=Timothy R.|last8=Westwood|first8=J. Timothy|last9=Smibert|first9=Craig A.|last10=Lipshitz|first10=Howard D.|date=January 2007|title=SMAUG Is a Major Regulator of Maternal mRNA Destabilization in Drosophila and Its Translation Is Activated by the PAN GU Kinase|journal=Developmental Cell|volume=12|issue=1|pages=143–155|doi=10.1016/j.devcel.2006.10.005|pmid=17199047|doi-access=free}} With collaborators he developed a panel of phage-displayed synthetic antibodies that recognize RNA-binding proteins{{cite journal|last1=Na|first1=Hong|last2=Laver|first2=John D.|last3=Jeon|first3=Jouhyun|last4=Singh|first4=Fateh|last5=Ancevicius|first5=Kristin|last6=Fan|first6=Yujie|last7=Cao|first7=Wen Xi|last8=Nie|first8=Kun|last9=Yang|first9=Zhenglin|last10=Luo|first10=Hua|last11=Wang|first11=Miranda|date=April 2016|title=A high-throughput pipeline for the production of synthetic antibodies for analysis of ribonucleoprotein complexes|journal=RNA|volume=22|issue=4|pages=636–655|doi=10.1261/rna.055186.115|first15=Craig A.|last16=Lipshitz|last12=Rissland|last17=Sidhu|first17=Sachdev S.|last15=Smibert|first14=Philip M.|last14=Kim|first13=J. Timothy|last13=Westwood|first12=Olivia|first16=Howard D.|pmid=26847261|pmc=4793217}} and has used these to carry out-genome-wide studies of their mechanisms, functions and binding specificity (e.g.{{cite journal|last1=Laver|first1=John D.|last2=Li|first2=Xiao|last3=Ancevicius|first3=Kristin|last4=Westwood|first4=J. Timothy|last5=Smibert|first5=Craig A.|last6=Morris|first6=Quaid D.|last7=Lipshitz|first7=Howard D.|date=November 2013|title=Genome-wide analysis of Staufen-associated mRNAs identifies secondary structures that confer target specificity|journal=Nucleic Acids Research|volume=41|issue=20|pages=9438–9460|doi=10.1093/nar/gkt702|pmid=23945942|pmc=3814352}}{{cite journal|last1=Laver|first1=John D|last2=Li|first2=Xiao|last3=Ray|first3=Debashish|last4=Cook|first4=Kate B|last5=Hahn|first5=Noah A|last6=Nabeel-Shah|first6=Syed|last7=Kekis|first7=Mariana|last8=Luo|first8=Hua|last9=Marsolais|first9=Alexander J|last10=Fung|first10=Karen YY|last11=Hughes|first11=Timothy R|date=December 2015|title=Brain tumor is a sequence-specific RNA-binding protein that directs maternal mRNA clearance during the Drosophila maternal-to-zygotic transition|journal=Genome Biology|volume=16|issue=1|pages=94|doi=10.1186/s13059-015-0659-4|last15=Lipshitz|last16=Smibert|first16=Craig A|first14=Quaid|last14=Morris|first13=Sachdev S|last13=Sidhu|first12=J Timothy|last12=Westwood|first15=Howard D|pmid=25962635|pmc=4460960 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal|last1=Laver|first1=John D.|last2=Ly|first2=Jimmy|last3=Winn|first3=Allison K.|last4=Karaiskakis|first4=Angelo|last5=Lin|first5=Sichun|last6=Nie|first6=Kun|last7=Benic|first7=Giulia|last8=Jaberi-Lashkari|first8=Nima|last9=Cao|first9=Wen Xi|last10=Khademi|first10=Alireza|last11=Westwood|first11=J. Timothy|date=March 2020|title=The RNA-Binding Protein Rasputin/G3BP Enhances the Stability and Translation of Its Target mRNAs|journal=Cell Reports|volume=30|issue=10|pages=3353–3367.e7|doi=10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.066|last15=Smibert|last16=Lipshitz|first16=Howard D.|first14=Stephane|last14=Angers|first13=Quaid|last13=Morris|first12=Sachdev S.|last12=Sidhu|first15=Craig A.|pmid=32160542|doi-access=free}}). He also collaborates with scientists who study mammalian development, using Drosophila as a model in which to elucidate the molecular functions of evolutionarily conserved genes (e.g.{{cite journal|last1=Cohen|first1=Brenda|last2=Bashirullah|first2=Arash|last3=Dagnino|first3=Lina|last4=Campbell|first4=Christine|last5=Fisher|first5=William W.|last6=Leow|first6=Ching Ching|last7=Whiting|first7=Elisabeth|last8=Ryan|first8=David|last9=Zinyk|first9=Dawn|last10=Boulianne|first10=Gabrielle|last11=Hui|first11=Chi-chung|date=July 1997|title=Fringe boundaries coincide with Notch-dependent patterning centres in mammals and alter Notch-dependent development in Drosophila|journal=Nature Genetics|volume=16|issue=3|pages=283–288|doi=10.1038/ng0797-283|first15=Sean E.|first14=Howard D.|last14=Lipshitz|first13=Robert A.|last13=Phillips|first12=Brenda|last12=Gallic|last15=Egan|pmid=9207795|s2cid=28033622}}{{cite journal|last1=Sing|first1=Angela|last2=Pannell|first2=Dylan|last3=Karaiskakis|first3=Angelo|last4=Sturgeon|first4=Kendra|last5=Djabali|first5=Malek|last6=Ellis|first6=James|last7=Lipshitz|first7=Howard D.|last8=Cordes|first8=Sabine P.|date=September 2009|title=A Vertebrate Polycomb Response Element Governs Segmentation of the Posterior Hindbrain|journal=Cell|volume=138|issue=5|pages=885–897|doi=10.1016/j.cell.2009.08.020|pmid=19737517|s2cid=8103493|doi-access=free}}{{cite journal|last1=Amadei|first1=Gianluca|last2=Zander|first2=Mark A.|last3=Yang|first3=Guang|last4=Dumelie|first4=Jason G.|last5=Vessey|first5=John P.|last6=Lipshitz|first6=Howard D.|last7=Smibert|first7=Craig A.|last8=Kaplan|first8=David R.|last9=Miller|first9=Freda D.|date=25 November 2015|title=A Smaug2-Based Translational Repression Complex Determines the Balance between Precursor Maintenance versus Differentiation during Mammalian Neurogenesis|journal=The Journal of Neuroscience|volume=35|issue=47|pages=15666–15681|doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2172-15.2015|pmid=26609159|pmc=6705466}}). Lipshitz has edited several books, most notably the collected works of his late colleague at Caltech, Nobel Laureate Edward B. Lewis, in which he provided detailed historical and scientific commentary on Lewis' contributions.{{cite book|url=https://www.springer.com/us/book/9781402063435|title=Genes, Development and Cancer: The Life and Work of Edward B. Lewis|date=2007|publisher=Springer Netherlands|isbn=978-1-4020-6343-5|editor1-last=Lipshitz|editor1-first=Howard D.|edition=2|location=Dordrecht, Netherlands|language=en}}

• Damant Science Prize, University of Natal (1975){{cite web |title=The Maternal-to-Zygotic Transition, Volume 113 |url=https://www.elsevier.com/books/the-maternal-to-zygotic-transition/lipshitz/978-0-12-409523-6 |website=The Maternal-to-Zygotic Transition, Volume 113 |publisher=Elsevier}}
• South African National Scholarship (held at Yale University (1978-1980)
• Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (held at Stanford University) (1983-1986){{cite web |title=Profile - The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation |url=http://hhwf.org/directory/profile/?userid=NDIz |website=The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation }}
• Searle Scholar (held at California Institute of Technology) (1983-1986){{cite web |title=Howard D. Lipshitz - Searle Scholars Program |url=https://www.searlescholars.net/people/howard-d-lipshitz |website=Searle Scholars Program }}
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (1990){{cite web |title=Elected Fellows |url=https://www.aaas.org/fellows/listing |website=American Association for the Advancement of Science }}
• Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Developmental Biology (held at University of Toronto) (2002–2008)
• Honorary Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Hong Kong (2012–2019){{cite web |title=Lipshitz Biography 202102 |url=http://sites.utoronto.ca/flylab/people/howard-lipshitz-professor/lipshitz-biography-202102.pdf |publisher=University of Toronto}}
• Honorary Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Hong Kong (2017–2019){{cite web |title=Honorary Staff - People - School of Biomedical Sciences, HKU |url=https://www.sbms.hku.hk/staff/honorary-staff |website=Honorary Staff - People - School of Biomedical Sciences, HKU |publisher=The University of Hong Kong}}
• Qiushi Chair Professor, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China (2017–2020){{cite web |title=Lipshitz CV 20210623 |url=http://sites.utoronto.ca/flylab/people/howard-lipshitz-professor/lipshitz-cv-20210623.pdf |publisher=University of Toronto}}
• Gordon and Betty Moore Distinguished Scholar, California Institute of Technology (2017){{cite web |title=Trustees, Administration, Faculty |url=https://catalog.caltech.edu/documents/2717/caltech_catalog-1718-section_6.pdf |publisher=California Institute of Technology}}

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Category:1955 births

Category:Living people

Category:American geneticists

Category:Genetics (journal) editors

Category:Academic staff of the University of Toronto

Category:University of KwaZulu-Natal alumni

Category:Yale University alumni

Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Category:California Institute of Technology faculty

Category:Stanford University people