Margaret Robinson facts for kids

Margaret Scott Robinson, born in 1951, is a British scientist who studies cells. She is a professor and researcher at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, which is part of the University of Cambridge. She is well-known for her important discoveries about how cells transport materials.

Becoming a Cell Scientist

Margaret Robinson earned her first degree in biology from Smith College in Massachusetts. She then went on to get her PhD, which is a very advanced degree, at Harvard University. Her teachers there included David Albertini and Barbara Pearse. In 2003, she became a Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. There, she studies special proteins that help cells move things around.

Margaret first became interested in science when she was young, by reading about famous scientists like Marie Curie. When she started college, she thought she might study English or theater. But because of her university's rules, she had to take an introductory biology class. In that class, a teacher named Jeanne Powell showed pictures of cells under a microscope. Margaret was amazed by how complex cells are, and that's when she decided to focus on cell biology.

After college, Margaret took a year off before going to Harvard Medical School.

Challenges and Discoveries

Margaret joined a new lab where she could research what she wanted. Because she was still learning, her early research didn't go as planned. She almost had to leave graduate school! She had to stop working on her interest in tiny cell packages called coated vesicles and focus on something closer to what the lab was already doing.

Later, Margaret started working with Barbara Pearse as a postdoctoral researcher. This means she continued her research after getting her PhD. She joined Barbara at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in December 1982. Margaret was very interested in clathrin-coated vesicles. These are like tiny bubbles inside cells that carry important "cargo" or materials. She successfully found parts of the vesicle's outer layer that were not clathrin. These parts are now called adaptor proteins. These adaptor proteins act like a bridge between the clathrin shell and the vesicle's outer membrane.

Margaret also found that there are two different types of clathrin-coated vesicles. One type uses a protein called AP-2 at the cell's outer edge, and the other uses AP-1 inside the cell. Both AP-1 and AP-2 are made of four smaller parts that are related to each other.

Exploring Cell Transport

Margaret Robinson's big achievements include finding adaptins. These are special proteins that help cells move things around correctly, making sure the right "cargo" gets to the right place. She also discovered that different combinations of adaptins, along with clathrin, form a protective coat around vesicles. These coated vesicles act like delivery trucks, moving protein packages to different parts of the cell. She also created a clever method called "knock sideways," which can quickly turn off proteins in cells.

After her postdoctoral work, Margaret was able to start her own research lab. Her main goal was to learn more about the AP protein family. She also worked with DNA to understand these proteins better. Margaret and her team found another AP complex, called AP-3. This protein works with other proteins found in cell parts called lysosomes. AP-3 is also important for moving a protein called tyrosinase, which helps make melanin, the pigment that gives color to skin and hair.

As of 2016, Professor Robinson has a lab at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. She continues to study coated vesicles. The most well-known ones are clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs). The outer layers of CCVs are mainly made of clathrin, adaptor protein (AP) complexes, and other adaptors. Her idea is that for each way cells move things, there are different adaptors. Each adaptor is brought to the right part of the cell membrane. Once there, these adaptors work together to pack different types of cargo into the new vesicle that is forming.

Margaret and her team use many methods to find new adaptors and other parts of the cell's transport system. These methods include studying proteins, screening many genes at once, and using their "knock sideways" method to quickly turn off proteins. Her current projects include finding out what AP-1 and other adaptors do in different types of cells. She also studies how clathrin and adaptors are taken over by the HIV-1 virus protein called Nef. Her lab also investigates why changes in the AP-4 and AP-5 adaptors cause a condition called hereditary spastic paraplegia. They also explore how adaptors have changed over time through evolution.

Her laboratory uses many techniques to study cells. These include looking at cells with powerful microscopes, separating cell parts, cleaning proteins, studying all the proteins in a cell, and using X-rays to see protein structures.

Why This Research Matters

Every living thing with complex cells, from tiny organisms to humans, has coated vesicles and adaptors. Margaret's work is thought to have played a key role in how complex cells (eukaryotes) developed from simpler cells (prokaryotes) over two billion years ago.

Her work also has important uses in medicine. Some adaptors can have changes, or mutations, that lead to certain genetic disorders. Also, germs and viruses often use adaptors to cause sickness. For example, the HIV virus has a protein called Nef. This protein is needed for AIDS to develop. Nef works by taking over adaptors and using them to change the surface of the infected cell.

Margaret Robinson's research helps us understand how coated vesicles sort and move materials. It also provides new tools that other scientists can use to solve their own research questions. For example, her "knock sideways" method can quickly remove proteins. This technique is now used in other labs that want to understand how specific proteins help with different stages of cell division.

Awards and Recognition

Margaret Robinson has received many honors for her work as a cell biologist. In 1999, she was given a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellowship. In 2003, she was named Professor of Molecular Cell Biology. She was chosen as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. In 2012, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), which is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. The Wellcome Trust has also supported her research for more than 25 years.