Iwona Stroynowski

Iwona Stroynowski
Born (1950-08-08) August 8, 1950 (age 74)
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materStanford University
SpouseRyszard Stroynowski
Children2 daughters
Scientific career
Fieldsbacterial genetics, molecular immunology
InstitutionsCalifornia Institute of Technology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Thesis (1979)
Doctoral advisorCharles Yanofsky
Doctoral studentsBette Korber

Iwona Teresa Stroynowski née Fleszar[1] (born 1950) is a Polish-born American immunologist who is Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. She discovered the process of gene expression control called attenuation early in her career, the first example of a riboswitch mechanism.

Early life and education

Stroynowski received a PhD from Stanford University in 1979 in the field of Genetics under the supervision of Joshua Lederberg.[2] She became an American citizen in 1982.[3] At Stanford, working with Charles Yanofsky, she discovered the attenuation system regulating bacterial amino acid synthesis pathways.[4]

Academic and research career

Stroynowski undertook an extended postdoctoral research period with Leroy Hood at California Institute of Technology, during which she changed fields from bacterial genetics to cellular immunology. Then she became an associate professor at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology.[2] Her current rank there is Professor of Immunology and Microbiology.[2] Stroynowski's research has delved into the functions of the non-canonical proteins of the Major Histocompatibility Complex, particularly Qa, a protein which is produced in both membrane bound and soluble forms from the same gene, due to alternative splicing.[5] Interferon induction of H-2 antigens was another of her findings.[6] One of her most important findings is that the Qa antigen, a non-variable histocompatibility antigen, has a role in protection from tumor formation.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Ryszard Andrzej Stroynowski". Poles.org. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Iwona Stroynowski". University of Texas Southwestern. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  3. ^ "Letter from Iwona Stroynowski to Joshua Lederberg". US National Library of Medicine. May 18, 1984. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  4. ^ Iwona Stroynowski, Magda van Cleemput, and Charles Yanofsky. (1982) "Superattenuation in the tryptophan operon of Serratia marcescens" Nature 298:38-41.
  5. ^ I Stroynowski, M Soloski, MG Low, and L Hood (1987) "A single gene encodes soluble and membrane-bound forms of the major histocompatibility Qa-2 antigen: anchoring of the product by a phospholipid tail." Science 239:1302–1306.
  6. ^ B Korber, N Mermod, L Hood, and I Stroynowski,(1988) "Regulation of gene expression by interferons: control of the H-2 promoter responses."Science 239: 1302–1306.
  7. ^ EY Chiang and I Stroynowski (2005) "Protective immunity to disparate tumors is mediated by a nonpolymorphic class I MHC molecule." J. Immunol. 174: 5367-5374.
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