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Scholar Profiles

Max Wilkinson

Max Wilkinson

Country of origin: New Zealand

Subject: Biological Sciences

Matriculation year: 2015

PhD at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Kiyoshi Nagai lab

In eukaryotes the coding information in genes is persistently and sporadically interrupted by huge amounts of non-coding “junk” DNA, called introns. Introns must be ignored when a gene is read, and this is achieved by employing a huge molecular machine called the spliceosome to excise introns from genes while they are copied into RNA, much like an ad blocker removes adverts from a YouTube video as it streams. This process, called splicing, is a major contributor to the complexity of multicellular life, while failure in splicing underlies as many as 30% of genetic diseases.

For my PhD work I have been employing electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM) to examine purified spliceosomes caught in the act of splicing. CryoEM has recently advanced to the point of being able to show biological molecular machines at atomic resolution, providing vivid pictures of diverse biological processes. By using cryoEM, I was able to see how the spliceosome can distinguish the junk DNA of introns from the surrounding useful genetic information. By examining the spliceosome’s active site, I saw how it uses RNA to catalyse the splicing reactions, with an enormous protein scaffold used to cradle and modulate this RNA core. Most recently, I was able to visualise how introns specifically enter this RNA core, thereby showing how the fidelity of splicing is ensured. It has been tremendously exciting to really see these essential biological processes for the first time, and I am very grateful for my time in Cambridge and the support I received to study here.

Undergraduate:
I did a BSc (Hons) at University of Otago, New Zealand majoring in biochemistry. 2011 - 2014.