Roberto Poljak
Roberto Juan Poljak (17 September 1932, Buenos Aires;[1] – 30 May 2019, Baltimore County[2]) was an Argentine biophysicist and immunologist.
Biography[]
Poljak graduated in 1949 with a bachelor's degree from the Colegio Nacional de Quilmes and in 1954 with a master's degree from the Facultad de Ciencias Naturales of the University of Buenos Aires. In 1956 he received his doctoral degree from the National University of La Plata and married Mabel Amelia Iglesias (1929–2020).[2][3] As a postdoc, he was from 1958 to 1960 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and from 1960 to 1962 at the Royal Institution's Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory. Poljak was from 1962 to 1981 a biophysics professor (and from 1972 a full professor) at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.[4] He was from 1981 to 1992 a professor at the Pasteur Institute, where he led a group doing research on molecular structures in immunology. From 1992 until his retirement as professor emeritus, Poljak was a full professor at the University of Maryland and the director of Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB) in Rockville, Maryland. (CARB was established in 1984 as a joint venture of the University of Maryland's Biotechnology Institute and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.)[5][4]
In the early 1970s at Johns Hopkins University, Poljak as the team leader with 3 other researchers "determined the first 3-D structure of an antibody".[5] In 1986 at the Pasteur Institute, he with 3 colleagues determined the 3-dimensional structure of an antigen-antibody complex, thus elucidating "how antibodies link with antigens".[5]
Methods of X-ray crystallography began to be applied to proteins in the 1960s. Recognizing the importance of applying these techniques to antibodies, Nisonoff soon succeeded in obtaining crystals of Fab fragments derived from human IgG myeloma proteins. Preliminary structure work was carried out in collaboration with Roberto Poljak's group; later more detailed studies carried out by Poljak and others led to a detailed understanding of the structure of the Fab fragment, including localization of the active site, the basic features of the Ig fold, and the orientation of the V and C domains.[6]
... Dr. Poljak, working with a collaborator in Paris, figured out how antibodies attack and knock out their foes. In essence, they found that there are 15 amino acids or sites on the antibody molecule that link with amino acids on the antigen.[5]
Poljak was in 1986 was made an honorary professor of the University of Buenos Aires. He received in 1989 in Geneva, Switzerland the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine[7] and in 1991 in Madrid, Spain the Premio Lección Conmemorativa Jiménez Díaz.[2]
Upon his death he was survived by his widow, a son, a daughter, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.[2]
Selected publications[]
- Blake, C. C. F.; Fenn, R. H.; North, A. C. T.; Phillips, D. C.; Poljak, R. J. (1962). "Structure of Lysozyme: A Fourier Map of the Electron Density at 6 Å Resolution obtained by X-ray Diffraction". Nature. 196 (4860): 1173–1176. Bibcode:1962Natur.196.1173B. doi:10.1038/1961173a0. PMID 13971463. S2CID 4186428.
- Avey, H. P.; Poljak, R. J.; Rossi, G.; Nisonoff, A. (1968). "Crystallographic Data for the Fab Fragment of a Human Myeloma Immunoglobulin". Nature. 220 (5173): 1248–1249. Bibcode:1968Natur.220.1248A. doi:10.1038/2201248a0. PMID 4177845. S2CID 4159305.
- Poljak, R. J.; Amzel, L. M.; Avey, H. P.; Becka, L. N.; Nisonoff, A. (1972). "Structure of Fab New at 6 Å Resolution". Nature New Biology. 235 (57): 137–140. doi:10.1038/newbio235137a0. PMID 4501106.
- Amzel, L. M.; Avey, H. P.; Becka, L. N.; Poljak, R. J.; Khattak, M. N.; Wang, S. Y. (1972). "Crystal and Molecular Structure of a 6-Methyluracil Photodimer". Nature New Biology. 238 (85): 204. doi:10.1038/newbio238204a0. PMID 4506199.
- Poljak, R. J.; Amzel, L. M.; Avey, H. P.; Chen, B. L.; Phizackerley, R. P.; Saul, F. (1973). "Three-Dimensional Structure of the Fab' Fragment of a Human Immunoglobulin at 2.8-Å Resolution". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 70 (12): 3305–3310. doi:10.1073/pnas.70.12.3305. PMC 427225. PMID 4519624.
- Poljak, R. J.; Amzel, L. M.; Chen, B. L.; Phizackerley, R. P.; Saul, F. (1974). "The Three-Dimensional Structure of the Fab' Fragment of a Human Myeloma Immunoglobulin at 2.0-Å Resolution". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 71 (9): 3440–3444. doi:10.1073/pnas.71.9.3440. PMC 433789. PMID 4215080.
- Amzel, L. M.; Poljak, R. J.; Saul, F.; Varga, J. M.; Richards, F. F. (1974). "The Three Dimensional Structure of a Combining Region-Ligand Complex of Immunoglobulin NEW at 3.5-Å Resolution". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 71 (4): 1427–1430. doi:10.1073/pnas.71.4.1427. PMC 388242. PMID 4524646.
- Poljak, Roberto J. (1975). "Three-dimensional structure, function and genetic control of immunoglobulins". Nature. 256 (5516): 373–376. Bibcode:1975Natur.256..373P. doi:10.1038/256373a0. PMID 806814. S2CID 4152066.
- Amzel, L. M.; Poljak, R. J. (1979). "Three-Dimensional Structure of Immunoglobulins". Annual Review of Biochemistry. 48: 961–997. doi:10.1146/annurev.bi.48.070179.004525. PMID 89832. (over 850 citations)
- Amit, A. G.; Mariuzza, R. A.; Phillips, S. E. V.; Poljak, R. J. (1985). "Three-dimensional structure of an antigen–antibody complex at 6 Å resolution". Nature. 313 (5998): 156–158. Bibcode:1985Natur.313..156A. doi:10.1038/313156a0. PMID 3965976. S2CID 4266283.
- Joliff, Gwennaël; Béguin, Pierre; Juy, Michel; Millet, Jacqueline; Ryter, Antoinette; Poljak, Roberto; Aubert, Jean-Paul (1986). "Isolation, Crystallization and Properties of a New Cellulase of Clostridium thermocellum Overproduced in Escherichia coli". Nature Biotechnology. 4 (10): 896–900. doi:10.1038/nbt1086-896. S2CID 9833812.
- Amit, A. G.; Mariuzza, R. A.; Phillips, S. E. V.; Poljak, R. J. (1986). "Three-Dimensional Structure of an Antigen-Antibody Complex at 2.8 Å Resolution". Science. 233 (4765): 747–753. doi:10.1126/science.2426778. PMID 2426778. S2CID 7071639. (over 1600 citations)
- Mariuzza, R. A.; Phillips, S. E. V.; Poljak, R. J. (1987). "The Structural Basis of Antigen-Antibody Recognition". Annual Review of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry. 16: 139–159. doi:10.1146/annurev.bb.16.060187.001035. PMID 2439094.
- Alzari, P. M.; Lascombe, M. B.; Poljak, R. J. (1988). "Three-Dimensional Structure of Antibodies". Annual Review of Immunology. 6: 555–580. doi:10.1146/annurev.iy.06.040188.003011. PMID 2454644.
- Chothia, Cyrus; Lesk, Arthur M.; Tramontano, Anna; Levitt, Michael; Smith-Gill, Sandra J.; Air, Gillian; Sheriff, Steven; Padlan, Eduardo A.; Davies, David; Tulip, William R.; Colman, Peter M.; Spinelli, Silvia; Alzari, Pedro M.; Poljak, Roberto J. (1989). "Conformations of immunoglobulin hypervariable regions". Nature. 342 (6252): 877–883. Bibcode:1989Natur.342..877C. doi:10.1038/342877a0. PMID 2687698. S2CID 4241051. (over 1750 citations)
- Lascombe, M. B.; Alzari, P. M.; Boulot, G.; Saludjian, P.; Tougard, P.; Berek, C.; Haba, S.; Rosen, E. M.; Nisonoff, A.; Poljak, R. J. (1989). "Three-dimensional structure of Fab R19.9, a monoclonal murine antibody specific for the p-azobenzenearsonate group". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 86 (2): 607–611. Bibcode:1989PNAS...86..607L. doi:10.1073/pnas.86.2.607. PMC 286521. PMID 2911596.
- Bhat, T. N.; Bentley, G. A.; Fischmann, T. O.; Boulot, G.; Poljak, R. J. (1990). "Small rearrangements in structures of Fv and Fab fragments of antibody D 1.3 on antigen binding". Nature. 347 (6292): 483–485. Bibcode:1990Natur.347..483B. doi:10.1038/347483a0. PMID 2215663. S2CID 857626.
- Bentley, G. A.; Boulot, G.; Riottot, M. M.; Poljak, R. J. (1990). "Three-dimensional structure of an idiotope–anti-idiotope complex". Nature. 348 (6298): 254–257. Bibcode:1990Natur.348..254B. doi:10.1038/348254a0. PMID 1700305. S2CID 4327321.
- Fischmann, T.O.; Bentley, G.A.; Bhat, T.N.; Boulot, G.; Mariuzza, R.A.; Phillips, S.E.; Tello, D.; Poljak, R.J. (1991). "Crystallographic refinement of the three-dimensional structure of the FabD1.3-lysozyme complex at 2.5-Å resolution". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 266 (20): 12915–12920. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)98782-X. PMID 1712773.
- Spinelli, S.; Liu, Q.; Alzari, P.; Hirel, P.; Poljak, R. (1991). "The three-dimensional structure of the aspartyl protease from the HIV-1 isolate BRU". Biochimie. 73 (11): 1391–1396. doi:10.1016/0300-9084(91)90169-2. PMID 1799632.
- Juy, Michel; Amrt, Adolfo G.; Alzari, Pedro M.; Poljak, Roberta J.; Claeyssens, Marc; Béguin, Pierre; Aubert, Jean-Paul (1992). "Three-dimensional structure of a thermostable bacterial cellulase". Nature. 357 (6373): 89–91. Bibcode:1992Natur.357...89J. doi:10.1038/357089a0. S2CID 4267041.
- Lascombe, M. B.; Alzari, P. M.; Poljak, R. J.; Nisonoff, A. (1992). "Three-dimensional structure of two crystal forms of FabR19.9 from a monoclonal anti-arsonate antibody". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 89 (20): 9429–9433. Bibcode:1992PNAS...89.9429L. doi:10.1073/pnas.89.20.9429. S2CID 40133415.
- Chitarra, V.; Alzari, P. M.; Bentley, G. A.; Bhat, T. N.; Eisele, J. L.; Houdusse, A.; Lescar, J.; Souchon, H.; Poljak, R. J. (1993). "Three-dimensional structure of a heteroclitic antigen-antibody cross-reaction complex". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 90 (16): 7711–7715. Bibcode:1993PNAS...90.7711C. doi:10.1073/pnas.90.16.7711. PMC 47212. PMID 8356074.
- Bhat, T. N.; Bentley, G. A.; Boulot, G.; Greene, M. I.; Tello, D.; Dall'Acqua, W.; Souchon, H.; Schwarz, F. P.; Mariuzza, R. A.; Poljak, R. J. (1994). "Bound water molecules and conformational stabilization help mediate an antigen-antibody association". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 91 (3): 1089–1093. Bibcode:1994PNAS...91.1089B. doi:10.1073/pnas.91.3.1089. PMC 521459. PMID 8302837. S2CID 13324074.
- Poljak, R. J. (1994). "An idiotope--anti-idiotope complex and the structural basis of molecular mimicking". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 91 (5): 1599–1600. Bibcode:1994PNAS...91.1599P. doi:10.1073/pnas.91.5.1599. PMC 43209. PMID 7510402.
- Poljak, Roberto J. (1994). "Production and structure of diabodies". Structure. 2 (12): 1121–1123. doi:10.1016/S0969-2126(94)00113-8. PMID 7704521.
- Braden, Bradford C.; Souchon, Hélène; Eiselé, Jean-Luc; Bentley, Graham A.; Bhat, T.Narayana; Navaza, Jorge; Poljak, Roberto J. (1994). "Three-dimensional structures of the free and the antigen-complexed Fab from monoclonal anti-lysozyme antibody D44.1". Journal of Molecular Biology. 243 (4): 767–781. doi:10.1016/0022-2836(94)90046-9. PMID 7966295.
- Braden, Bradford C.; Poljak, Roberto J. (1995). "Structural features of the reactions between antibodies and protein antigens". The FASEB Journal. 9 (1): 9–16. doi:10.1096/fasebj.9.1.7821765. PMID 7821765. S2CID 25401158.
- Goldbaum, F. A.; Velikovsky, C. A.; Dall'Acqua, W.; Fossati, C. A.; Fields, B. A.; Braden, B. C.; Poljak, R. J.; Mariuzza, R. A. (1997). "Characterization of anti-anti-idiotypic antibodies that bind antigen and an anti-idiotype". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 94 (16): 8697–8701. Bibcode:1997PNAS...94.8697G. doi:10.1073/pnas.94.16.8697. PMC 23085. PMID 9238040.
- Eisenstein, E.; Gilliland, G. L.; Herzberg, O.; Moult, J.; Orban, J.; Poljak, R. J.; Banerjei, L.; Richardson, D.; Howard, A. J. (2000). "Biological function made crystal clear — annotation of hypothetical proteins via structural genomics". Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 11 (1): 25–30. doi:10.1016/S0958-1669(99)00063-4. PMID 10679350.
References[]
- ^ biographical information from American Men and Women of Science, Thomson Gale 2004
- ^ a b c d "Roberto Poljak 1932-2019". The Washington Post. June 6, 2019.
- ^ "Obituary. Mabel Amelia Poljak". The Baltimore Sun. September 10, 2020.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Ron (February 7, 1993). "People Briefs: Robert J. Poljak". The Scientist Magazine - Life Sciences News and Articles.
- ^ a b c d Bowie, Liz (November 23, 1992). "From Paris to Rockville: Top researcher takes helm at biotech center". The Baltimore Sun. (The 1992 Baltimore Sun article contains a misspelling: "Thomas Poulas" should be "Thomas Poulos".)
- ^ "Alfred Nisonoff 1923–2001". Biographical Memoirs: Volume 83. 7 December 2003. pp. 161–171. ISBN 9780309086998. quote from p. 166
- ^ "Professor Roberto J. Poljak. Winner of the 1989 Louis-Jeantet Prize for medicine". Fondation Louis-Jeantet.
- 1932 births
- 2019 deaths
- University of Buenos Aires alumni
- National University of La Plata alumni
- Johns Hopkins University faculty
- University System of Maryland faculty
- Argentine biophysicists
- Immunologists
- People from Buenos Aires