RNA in the classroom: beyond the “RN‐ABCs”

David H Bechhofer

Professor David H Bechhofer joined Mount Sinai in 1986, after receiving his PhD from Columbia University in 1984 and doing postdoctoral work at the Public Health Research Institute of New York (moved since to UMDNJ in Newark, NJ). He is now Professor of Medical Education, and Professor of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics. His laboratory has been funded by the NIH since 1987, and he has served several times on the NIH Microbial Genetics Study Section as an ad hoc reviewer.

Professor Bechhofer’s current research interests focus on Prokaryotic mRNA decay and stable RNA processing. In particular he and his team study the mechanism of mRNA decay in the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. In early studies, the group showed that the 5’ end of a message is important in determining mRNA half-life, and they are now investigating the specific sites on an mRNA where decay begins.