Sharon R. Long

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Sharon Long
Born
Sharon Rugel Long

(1951-03-02) March 2, 1951 (age 73)
EducationHarvey Mudd College
California Institute of Technology (BS)
Yale University (MS, PhD)
Known forbacterial-plant symbiosis
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1979; div. 2004)​
​
(m. 2008)​
Children2
AwardsMember of the National Academy of Sciences
Scientific career
FieldsPlant biology
InstitutionsStanford University
ThesisMaturation and Germination Programs in Developing Embryos of Phaseolus (1979)
Notable studentsGiles Oldroyd
Websiteprofiles.stanford.edu/sharon-long

Sharon Rugel Long (born March 2, 1951) is an American plant biologist. She is the Steere-Pfizer Professor of Biological Science in the Department of Biology at Stanford University, and the Principal Investigator of the Long Laboratory at Stanford.[1][2]

Long studies the symbiosis between bacteria and plants, in particular the relationship of nitrogen-fixing bacteria to legumes. Her work has applications for energy conservation and sustainable agriculture.[3] She is a 1992 MacArthur Fellows Program recipient,[4] and became a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1993.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Sharon Rugel Long was born on (1951-03-02)March 2, 1951 to Harold Eugene and Florence Jean (Rugel) Long.[6] She attended George Washington High School in Denver, Colorado.[7] Long spent a year at Harvey Mudd College before becoming one of the first women to attend Caltech in September 1970. She completed a double major in biochemistry and French literature in the Independent Studies Program, and obtained her B.S. in 1973.[7]

Long went on to study biochemistry and genetics at Yale, receiving her Ph.D. in 1979.[2] She began her research on plants and symbiosis while a postdoc at Frederick M Ausubel's lab at Harvard University.[8][9]

Career and research[edit]

Long joined the Stanford University faculty in 1982[10] as an assistant professor, rising to associate professor in 1987, and full professor in 1992.[11] From 1994 to 2001, she was also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.[12][11] She currently holds the Steere-Pfizer chair in Biological Sciences at Stanford.[1]

From 1993 to 1996, she was part of the National Research Council's Committee on Undergraduate Science Education.[13] She served as Dean of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University from 2001 to 2007.[10][14][3][15]

In September 2008 she was identified as one of 5 science advisors for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.[16][17] In 2011, she was appointed to the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science by President Obama.[3]

External videos
video icon "Legume and Bacteria Symbiosis", Sharon Long (Stanford), iBiology Techniques
video icon "Nod gene transcription", Sharon Long (Stanford), iBiology Techniques

Long identified and cloned genes that allow bacteria to find and enter certain plants in which they live symbiotically. She has examined the interactions of Rhizobium bacteria with legumes such as alfalfa, soybeans and peas, in which they enhance nitrogen production. She has genetically modified bacteria to make them more effective at entering host plants and producing nitrogen. Such initiatives may enable farmers to reduce nitrogen fertilizer use and runoff of fertilizer into local water supplies.[11]

Her current[when?] research uses molecular, genetic, and biochemical techniques to study the early stages of symbiosis between Sinorhizobium meliloti and its host plants in the genus Medicago.[18] Rhizobium cells recognize and form nodules on their plant hosts. Her group discovered that a flavone (luteolin) derived from alfalfa seed extracts is necessary for activation of nodulation genes (nod ABC) in Sinorhizobium meliloti.[19] They proved that some nod genes encode enzymes that synthesize Nod Factor. They discovered that plant root hair cells show rapid ionic changes including calcium spiking in response to specific Nod Factors. With colleagues, they have identified plant genes for symbiosis, and correlated these with specific stages in nodule development.[20][21][22][23][24]

Selected publications[edit]

  • Peters, NK; Frost, JW; Long, SR (29 August 1986). "A plant flavone, luteolin, induces expression of Rhizobium meliloti nodulation genes". Science. 233 (4767): 977–80. Bibcode:1986Sci...233..977P. doi:10.1126/science.3738520. PMID 3738520.
  • Long, SR (27 January 1989). "Rhizobium-legume nodulation: life together in the underground". Cell. 56 (2): 203–14. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(89)90893-3. PMID 2643474. S2CID 1055437.
  • Schwedock, J; Long, SR (13 December 1990). "ATP sulphurylase activity of the nodP and nodQ gene products of Rhizobium meliloti". Nature. 348 (6302): 644–7. Bibcode:1990Natur.348..644S. doi:10.1038/348644a0. PMID 2250719. S2CID 4318180.

Awards and honors[edit]

Personal life[edit]

Long married her college boyfriend Harold James McGee on July 7, 1979 and divorced in 2004. They had two children.[31]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Long Lab Present Members". Stanford University. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Sharon Rugel Long - Stanford CAP Network". Stanford University. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Ray, Elaine (September 19, 2011). "Sharon Long appointed to National Medal of Science committee". Stanford News. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Sharon R. Long Plant Biologist Class of 1992". MacArthur Foundation. January 1, 2005. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Sharon R. Long". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Florence Jean Long". Amarillo Globe-News. July 27, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Pioneer Women" (PDF). E&S. Caltech. June 1973. pp. 20–21. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  8. ^ Jones, J. D.G. (1 February 2002). "From Physics and Chemistry to Plant Biology" (PDF). Plant Physiology. 128 (2): 332–333. doi:10.1104/pp.900017. PMC 1540203. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  9. ^ Long, Sharon R.; Buikema, William J.; Ausubel, Frederick M. (29 July 1982). "Cloning of Rhizobium meliloti nodulation genes by direct complementation of Nod− mutants". Nature. 298 (5873): 485–488. Bibcode:1982Natur.298..485L. doi:10.1038/298485a0. S2CID 24556846.
  10. ^ a b Shwartz, Mark (April 6, 2001). "Sharon Long appointed dean of School of Humanities and Sciences". Stanford News Service. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  11. ^ a b c d e Bailey, Martha J. (1998). American women in science, 1950 to the present: a biographical dictionary. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-87436-921-2.
  12. ^ "Sharon R. Long, PhD". Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  13. ^ Bio2010: transforming undergraduate education for future research biologists. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. 2002. ISBN 0-309-08535-7.
  14. ^ "Sharon Long announces plan to leave dean's post in 2007". Stanford News. April 5, 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  15. ^ Maher, Frances A.; Tetreault, Mary Kay Thomson (2005). Privilege and diversity in the American academy. New York: Routledge. pp. 102–103. ISBN 0-415-94665-4. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  16. ^ Keim, Brandon (September 17, 2008). "Obama Campaign Reveals Science Advisors". Wired. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  17. ^ Crocker, Ellen (April 12, 2012). "Serendipity and Science: 30 Minutes with Dr. Sharon Long". Scientific American. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  18. ^ Long, Sharon R. "Control of Symbiotic Gene Expression in Sinorhizobium meliloti". Grantome. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  19. ^ Peters, NK; Frost, JW; Long, SR (29 August 1986). "A plant flavone, luteolin, induces expression of Rhizobium meliloti nodulation genes". Science. 233 (4767): 977–80. Bibcode:1986Sci...233..977P. doi:10.1126/science.3738520. PMID 3738520.
  20. ^ Long, SR (27 January 1989). "Rhizobium-legume nodulation: life together in the underground". Cell. 56 (2): 203–14. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(89)90893-3. PMID 2643474. S2CID 1055437.
  21. ^ Schwedock, J; Long, SR (13 December 1990). "ATP sulphurylase activity of the nodP and nodQ gene products of Rhizobium meliloti". Nature. 348 (6302): 644–7. Bibcode:1990Natur.348..644S. doi:10.1038/348644a0. PMID 2250719. S2CID 4318180.
  22. ^ Southwick, A. M.; Wang, L.-X.; Long, S. R.; Lee, Y. C. (15 July 2002). "Activity of Sinorhizobium meliloti NodAB and NodH Enzymes on Thiochitooligosaccharides". Journal of Bacteriology. 184 (14): 4039–4043. doi:10.1128/JB.184.14.4039-4043.2002. PMC 135183. PMID 12081977.
  23. ^ Long, Sharon R. (8 July 2015). "Receptive to infection". Nature. 523 (7560): 298–299. doi:10.1038/nature14632. PMID 26153862.
  24. ^ Palacios, Rafael; Mora, Jaime; Newton, William E. (1993). New horizons in nitrogen fixation proceedings of the 9th International Congress on Nitrogen Fixation, Cancún, Mexico, December 6-12, 1992. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic. p. 28. ISBN 978-94-017-2416-6. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  25. ^ "The Charles Albert Shull Award". American Society of Plant Biologists. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  26. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  27. ^ "2002 Bios". Yale Alumni Association. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  28. ^ "Fellow of ASPB Award". American Society of Plant Biologists. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Sharon R. Long". www.nasonline.org.
  30. ^ "ASPB Pioneer Members".
  31. ^ "A chemist in the kitchen (November 19, 2004)".
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