Prof Jan Hoeijmakers Head, Institute of Genetics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Background

Jan Hoeijmakers studied biology at Nijmegen University, the Netherlands. His Ph.D. work on trypanosomes at the University of Amsterdam (supervisor P. Borst), resolved the molecular basis for antigenic variation by which trypanosomes escape from immune surveillance and cause sleeping sickness. In 1981, he joined the Institute of Genetics of the Erasmus University (head D. Bootsma) to work on DNA repair in mammals. His team cloned the first of many subsequent human DNA-repair genes, discovered the strong evolutionary conservation of DNA repair systems, elucidated the basis of several human repair (and basal transcription) syndromes, generated a large number of DNA-repair mouse mutants that provided insight into the etiology of human repair syndromes and discovered a link between repair, transcription and ageing. A new line of research explores the organization of DNA repair and transcription in living cells. Recently, his group generated the first mouse mutant with intrinsic defects in the biological clock. His team owns several patents in genome stability. In 1993, he became the Professor of Molecular Genetics, and since 1999 he has been the head of the Institute of Genetics at the Erasmus University. In the beginning of 2005 he started the company DNage as the Chief Science Officer together with CEO Rein Strijker.

Selected Publications

W. Vermeulen, S. Rademakers, N.G. Jaspers, E. Appeldoorn, A. Raams, B. Klein, W.J. Kleijer, L.K. Hansen, J.H.J. Hoeijmakers (2001)
A temperature-sensitive disorder in basal transcription and DNA repair in humans. Nat Genet 27(3):299-303

J. de Boer, J.O. Andressoo, J. de Wit, J. Huijmans, R.B. Beems, H. van Steeg, G. Weeda, G.T.J. van der Horst, W. van Leeuwen, A.P.N. Themmen, M. Meradji, J.H.J. Hoeijmakers (2002)
Premature aging in mice deficient in DNA repair and transcription. Science (research article), 296, 1276-1279 (2002) (see also Comments in Science May 17; 296, 1250-1251 (2002))

P. Hasty, J. Campisi, J.H.J. Hoeijmakers, H. van Steeg, J. Vijg (2003)
Aging and genome maintenance: lessons from the mouse? Science. 299, 1355-1359. Review

M.Y. Ng, G.T.J. van der Horst, W. Vermeulen, K. Sugasawa, H. Vrieling, and J.H.J. Hoeijmakers (2003)
A novel mechanism of regulation of DNA repair: stabilization of XPC by DNA damage and by the ubiquitin domain protein RAD23. Genes and Development, 17, 1630-1645

G. Giglia-Mari, F. Coin, J.A. Ranish, D. Hoogstraten, A. Theil, N. Wijgers, N.G.J. Jaspers, A. Raams, M. Argentini, P.J. van der Spek, E. Botta, M. Stefanini, J-M. Egly, R. Aebersold, J.H.J. Hoeijmakers and W. Vermeulen (2004)
A new, tenth subunit of TFIIH is responsible for the DNA repair syndrome Trichothiodystrophy group A. Nature Genet. 36, 714-719

L.J. Niedernhofer, G.A. Garinis, A. Raams, S.A. Lalai, A.R. Robinson, E. Appeldoorn, H. Odijk, R. Oostendorp, A. Ahmad, W. van Leeuwen, A. Theil, W. Vermeulen, G.T. van der horst, P. Meinecke, W. Kleijer, J. Vijg, N.G.J. Jaspers, J.H.J. Hoeijmakers (2006)
A novel progeria caused by a DNA repair defect reveals that genotoxic stress supresses the somatotroph axis. Nature in press

I. van der Pluijm, G.A. Garinis, R.M.C. Brandt, T.G.M.F. Gorgels, S.W. Wijnhoven, K.E.M. Diderich, J. de Wit, J.R. Mitchell, C. van Oostrom, R. Beems, L.J. Niedernhofer, S. Velasco, E.C. Friedberg, K. Tanaka, H. van Steeg, J.H.J. Hoeijmakers, G.T.J. van der Horst (2006)
Impaired genome maintenance suppresses the GH/IGF1 axis in Cockayne syndrome mice. PLOS, in press