Catherine Louise Kearney Squires was a microbiologist known for her work on ribosomal RNA using Escherichia coli as a model organism. She was an elected fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Catherine Squires
Born
Catherine Louise Kearney[1]

April 9, 1941
Sacramento, California
DiedAugust 3, 2021
Other namesCathy Squires
Alma materUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Scientific career
ThesisBiochemical and genetic study of CRM in the L-arabinose operon (1972)
Doctoral advisorNancy Lee

Education and career edit

Squires grew up in Winters, California and attended San Juan High School.[1] She earned a B.A. (1963) and an M.A. (1967)[2] from the University of California, Davis.[1] She then moved to the University of California, Santa Barbara where she earned her Ph.D. in 1972.[3] Following her Ph.D. she was a postdoctoral scientist at Stanford University where she worked with Charles Yanofsky. She moved to Dartmouth College in 1974, and subsequently accepted a position at Columbia University in 1977. In 1994, she moved to Tufts University School of Medicine and then retired from there in 2007.[4] She returned to Stanford University as a visiting professor until 2009.[1][4]

Squires was the editor-in-chief of Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews from 1997 until 2000.[4]

Research edit

Squires is known for her research on ribosomal RNA and the tools she established to study the function and structure of ribosomes. She began working on mutants of Escherichia coli while at University of California, Davis where she examined the temperature dependence of growth in the bacterium.[5][6] While at Stanford, she worked on regulation of the tryptophan operon in Escherichia coli.[7][8] Her husband, Craig Squires, was experienced in sequencing tRNAs and they collaborated to determine the sequence of β subunit of RNA polymerase[9][10] and worked on heat shock proteins.[11] Squires' research established a mutant of Escherichia coli (strain Δ7) which had all seven of its rrn operons removed.[12][13] Squires was a critic of the Human Genome Project and in 1992 she noted the project used funds that could be better applied in other scientific endeavors.[14]

Selected publications edit

  • Bertrand, Kevin; Korn, Laurence; Lee, Frank; Platt, Terry; Squires, Catherine L.; Squires, Craig; Yanofsky, Charles (1975-07-04). "New Features of the Regulation of the Tryptophan Operon: A new type of regulatory site has been studied". Science. 189 (4196): 22–26. doi:10.1126/science.1094538. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 1094538.
  • Squires, C L; Pedersen, S; Ross, B M; Squires, C (1991). "ClpB is the Escherichia coli heat shock protein F84.1". Journal of Bacteriology. 173 (14): 4254–4262. doi:10.1128/jb.173.14.4254-4262.1991. ISSN 0021-9193. PMC 208084. PMID 2066329.
  • Condon, C; Squires, C; Squires, C L (1995). "Control of rRNA transcription in Escherichia coli". Microbiological Reviews. 59 (4): 623–645. doi:10.1128/mr.59.4.623-645.1995. ISSN 0146-0749. PMC 239391. PMID 8531889.
  • Asai, T.; Zaporojets, D.; Squires, C.; Squires, C. L. (1999-03-02). "An Escherichia coli strain with all chromosomal rRNA operons inactivated: Complete exchange of rRNA genes between bacteria". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 96 (5): 1971–1976. Bibcode:1999PNAS...96.1971A. doi:10.1073/pnas.96.5.1971. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 26721. PMID 10051579.

Awards and honors edit

Squires was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (1994)[15] and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2002).[16]

Personal life edit

Squires was a fan of Elvis Presley and accumulated Elvis memorabilia while at Tufts University.[17] After her retirement she moved to Winters, California, in 2009.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Catherine L. (Kearney) Squires". Winters Express. 2021-09-11. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  2. ^ Squires, Catherine Kearney (1967). Studies on a mutant of E. coli exhibiting a cold-sensitive phenotype for lactose fermentation (Thesis). Davis, Calif. OCLC 81257999.
  3. ^ Squires, Catherine Louise (1972). Biochemical and genetic study of CRM in the L-arabinose operon (Thesis).
  4. ^ a b c Henkin, Tina M. (2021-10-04). "Catherine L. Squires, 1941-2021: Scientist, Academic Leader, Mentor". Journal of Bacteriology. 203 (24): JB.00472–21. doi:10.1128/JB.00472-21. ISSN 0021-9193. PMC 8604069. S2CID 238356903.
  5. ^ Squires, Catherine K.; Ingraham, John L. (1969). "Mutant of Escherichia coli Exhibiting a Cold-sensitive Phenotype for Growth on Lactose". Journal of Bacteriology. 97 (2): 488–494. doi:10.1128/jb.97.2.488-494.1969. ISSN 0021-9193. PMC 249716. PMID 4886277.
  6. ^ Marr, Allen G.; Ingraham, John L.; Squires, Craig L. (1964). "EFFECT OF THE TEMPERATURE OF GROWTH OF ESCHERICHIA COLI ON THE FORMATION OF β-GALACTOSIDASE". Journal of Bacteriology. 87 (2): 356–362. doi:10.1128/jb.87.2.356-362.1964. ISSN 0021-9193. PMC 277016. PMID 14151057.
  7. ^ Squires, Catherine L.; Rose, John K.; Yanofsky, Charles; Yang, Huey-Lang; Zubay, Geoffrey (1973). "Tryptophanyl-tRNA and Tryptophanyl-tRNA Synthetase are not Required for in vitro Repression of the Tryptophan Operon". Nature New Biology. 245 (144): 131–133. doi:10.1038/newbio245131a0. ISSN 0090-0028. PMID 4582891.
  8. ^ Squires, Catherine L.; Lee, Frank D.; Yanofsky, Charles (1975-02-15). "Interaction of the trp repressor and RNA polymerase with the trp operon". Journal of Molecular Biology. 92 (1): 93–111. doi:10.1016/0022-2836(75)90093-5. ISSN 0022-2836. PMID 1097702.
  9. ^ Squires, C.; Krainer, A.; Barry, G.; Shen, W.-F.; Squires, C.L. (1981). "Nudeotide sequence at the end of the gene for the RNA polymerase β subunit (rpoC)". Nucleic Acids Research. 9 (24): 6827–6840. doi:10.1093/nar/9.24.6827. ISSN 0305-1048. PMC 327645. PMID 6278450.
  10. ^ Barry, G.; Squires, C.; Squires, C. L. (1980-06-01). "Attenuation and processing of RNA from the rplJL--rpoBC transcription unit of Escherichia coli". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 77 (6): 3331–3335. Bibcode:1980PNAS...77.3331B. doi:10.1073/pnas.77.6.3331. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 349609. PMID 6158044.
  11. ^ Squires, C; Squires, C L (1992). "The Clp proteins: proteolysis regulators or molecular chaperones?". Journal of Bacteriology. 174 (4): 1081–1085. doi:10.1128/jb.174.4.1081-1085.1992. ISSN 0021-9193. PMC 206400. PMID 1735703.
  12. ^ Asai, Tsuneaki; Condon, Ciarán; Voulgaris, Justina; Zaporojets, Dmitry; Shen, Binghua; Al-Omar, Michaal; Squires, Craig; Squires, Catherine L. (1999). "Construction and Initial Characterization of Escherichia coli Strains with Few or No Intact Chromosomal rRNA Operons". Journal of Bacteriology. 181 (12): 3803–3809. doi:10.1128/JB.181.12.3803-3809.1999. ISSN 0021-9193. PMC 93859. PMID 10368156.
  13. ^ Asai, T.; Zaporojets, D.; Squires, C.; Squires, C. L. (1999-03-02). "An Escherichia coli strain with all chromosomal rRNA operons inactivated: Complete exchange of rRNA genes between bacteria". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 96 (5): 1971–1976. Bibcode:1999PNAS...96.1971A. doi:10.1073/pnas.96.5.1971. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 26721. PMID 10051579.
  14. ^ Hilts, Philip J. (1992-04-09). "HEAD OF GENE MAP THREATENS TO QUIT". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  15. ^ "Columbia University Record". Vol. 19, no. 27. May 6, 1994. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2021-10-29. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  16. ^ "Historic Fellows | American Association for the Advancement of Science". www.aaas.org. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  17. ^ "The 1990s". Tufts University School of Medicine. 2018-06-20. Archived from the original on 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-29.