Joachim Messing

. [ [http://waksman.rutgers.edu/about_waksman.php The Waksman Institute homepage] ]

Since his arrival at Rutgers in 1985, Jo Messing has initiated research activity on computational and structural biology and further emphasis on molecular genetics of the regulation of gene expression and biomolecular interactions. [ [http://waksman.rutgers.edu/about_history.php The History of the Waksman Institute of Microbiology] ] . In the eighties, he provided incubator space for two Biotechnology centers at Rutgers, one in Medicine and one in Agriculture [ [http://waksman.rutgers.edu/docs/ar2007.pdf The Waksman Institute’s Annual Report 2006-2007] ] . Subsequently, he also founded two new departments at Rutgers and served as the first chair, the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and the Department of Genetics.

Prof Messing is also involved in the [http://pgir.rutgers.edu/ Plant Genome Initiative at Rutgers] , which has contributed to the sequencing of the maize, sorghum, and the rice genome. [ [http://www.maizegenome.org/ Maize genome.org, A Website about Maize Genome Sequencing Projects] ] [ [http://lifesci.rutgers.edu/~molbiosci/faculty/messing.html Graduate programs in Molecular Biosciences at Rutgers] ]

Research

Jo Messing is a pharmacist by training, but has specialized in molecular biology during his PhD-research at the LM University of Munich and the Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry.

In the late seventies and early eighties, Jo Messing and his colleagues developed the shotgun DNA sequencing method with single and paired synthetic universal primers. The method is based on fragmenting DNA into small sizes, purifying them by cloning, and defining the start of sequencing with a short oligonucleotide. [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6259625?ordinalpos=118&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum A system for shotgun DNA sequencing. "Nucleic Acids Res". 1981 Jan 24;9(2):309-21] ] [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6295879?ordinalpos=109&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum The pUC plasmids, an M13mp7-derived system for insertion mutagenesis and sequencing with synthetic universal primers. "Gene". 1982 Oct;19(3):259-68] ] Because fragmentation produces overlapping fragments, sequences can be concatenated by overlapping sequence information, [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6278410?ordinalpos=111&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum Apple II software for M13 shotgun DNA sequencing. "Nucleic Acids Res". 1982 Jan 11;10(1):39-49] ] , thereby reconstructing contiguous sequences (contigs), which was first exemplified by the complete structure of a plant DNA virus. [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6269062?ordinalpos=104&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum The complete nucleotide sequence of an infectious clone of cauliflower mosaic virus by M13mp7 shotgun sequencing. "Nucleic Acids Res". 1981 Jun 25;9(12):2871-88.] ] His cloning vectors were also used to develop the method for oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis. [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6323249?ordinalpos=103&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum Construction of improved M13 vectors using oligodeoxynucleotide-directed mutagenesis "Gene". 1983 Dec; 26(1):101-6] ] . DNA cloning, shotgun sequencing and site-directed mutagenesis became widely used to sequence large DNA molecules like human chromosomes and to engineer genes and proteins. These methods are freely available, have been the cornerstone of the biotechnology industry and are cited in many patents. At Rutgers, his basic research is directed to the evolution of plant chromosomes and gene duplication. He also researches non-Mendelian inheritance.

His applied research is focused on upgrading the nutritional value of corn, by genetically modifying corn to make methionine and lysine in the seeds, two of the essential amino acids that people and livestock need in their diet. [ [http://waksman.rutgers.edu/waks/messing/messing.html Messing’s personal website at the Waksman Institute] ]

Another applied research line is investigating the genetic properties of sorghum. A natural sorghum variant with increased sugar in the stem allows the plant to be used for both biofuel and feed.

Education

1968: B.S. in Pharmacy, Dusseldorf, Germany
1971: M.S. in Pharmacy, Free University of Berlin, Berlin
1975: Dr.Rer.Nat. in Biochemistry/Pharmacy Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany [ [http://hcr3.isiknowledge.com/author.cgi?id=384&cb=20 Jo Messing, Highly cited scientist in ISI web of Knowledge.com] ]

Professional career

1975-1978: Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Munich, Germany
1978-1980: Research Associate in Bacteriology, University of California, Davis, CA
1980-1982: Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
1982-1984: Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
1984-1985: Professor of Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
1985-present: University Professor of Molecular Biology, Rutgers University
1988-present: Director, Waksman Institute, Rutgers University

Awards and honors

• 1981-1990 World's most-cited scientist [ [Science 254:28, October 1991] ]
• 1985-1986 The most cited 1985 paper in the life sciences. [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2985470 Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mp18 and pUC19 vectors. Gene. 1985;33(1):103-19] ] .
• 2002 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science [ [http://php.aaas.org/about/aaas_fellows/list.php List of AAAS fellows] ]
• 2004 USDA Secretary’s Honor Award (US Rice Genome) [ [http://rgp.dna.affrc.go.jp/E/IRGSP/prize/USDAaward/USDAaward.html US Rice Genome Consortium receives USDA Secretary's Honor Awards] ]
• 2007 Member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (Germany) [ [http://ur.rutgers.edu/medrel/viewArticle.html?ArticleID=5902 Rutgers’ Messing Elected to Historic European Scientific Society] ]

References

External links

[http://blog.nj.com/iamnj/2007/01/jo_messing.html Thinking Big, Geneticist solves problems with biotechnology, I am NJ by the Star Ledger, January 2007]