A Short Biography:

Arnie Berk is a virologist and cell biologist in the Molecular Biology Institute and Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at UCLA. As a postdoctoral fellow, his analysis of adenovirus mRNA synthesis led to the initial discovery of RNA processing of spliced mRNAs from pre-mRNA precursors containing introns, and his analysis of early SV40 mRNA lead to the initial discovery of alternatively spliced mRNA isoforms encoding distinct, but related proteins. At UCLA his research has focused on the mechanisms of transcriptional activation and control of the cell cycle by the adenovirus E1A and E1B proteins. Work from his laboratory demonstrated that the tumor suppressor activity of p53 depends on its activity as a transcriptional activator. His laboratory discovered that activation of transcription by the adenovirus large E1A protein results from its interaction with the human mediator of transcription complex, and that this promotes assembly of pre-initiation complexes on promoter DNA and stimulation of elongation by promoter proximal paused RNA polymerase II. The small E1A protein was shown to regulate host cell transcription and cell cycle progression through modifications of chromatin structure. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds the UCLA Presidential Chair in Molecular Cell Biology.