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Titia de Lange
Titia de Lange 2011.jpg
Titia de Lange at the Vilcek Prize Ceremony in 2011
Born
Titia de lange

(1955-11-11) November 11, 1955 (age 69)
Nationality Dutch
Alma mater University of Amsterdam (Ph.D)
Known for
  • Shelterin
  • Telomeres
Awards
  • Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research (2001)
  • Heineken Prize (2012)
  • Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2013)
  • Canada Gairdner International Award (2014)
  • Rosenstiel Award (2017)
Scientific career
Fields Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Genetics
Institutions
Doctoral advisor Piet Borst

Titia de Lange (born 11 November 1955) is a famous Dutch scientist. She works at Rockefeller University in New York. There, she leads the Laboratory Cell Biology and Genetics. She is also the Director of the Anderson Center for Cancer Research.

Titia de Lange earned her master's degree in 1981. She then got her PhD in 1985 from the University of Amsterdam. After that, she worked at the University of California, San Francisco. Since 1990, she has been a professor at Rockefeller University. In 2013, she won a huge award, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. This prize was for her important work on tiny parts of our DNA called telomeres.

In 2000, she became a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Her Amazing Career

Titia de Lange studied biochemistry at the University of Amsterdam. She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees there. She also completed her PhD while working at the Netherlands Cancer Institute.

In 1985, she moved to the United States. She joined a research team at the University of California, San Francisco. Then, in 1990, she started her own lab at Rockefeller University. Today, she is a top professor and leads a cancer research center there.

Her research on telomeres helped us understand how they protect our chromosomes. This work also showed how problems with telomeres can lead to cancer. Her discoveries are very important for understanding both aging and cancer.

Her Research Journey

When Titia de Lange finished high school, she wanted to study chemistry. But she noticed very few women in chemistry classes. So, she decided to study biology with a focus on biochemistry instead.

At the University of Amsterdam, she worked with a mentor named Richard A. Flavell. She completed her master's project at the National Institute for Medical Research. Her project looked at a rare blood disorder called γβ-thalassemia. She found a DNA change that caused a problem with a gene. She loved working in that lab. She said it was "vibrant, competitive, international," and "a lot of fun." This experience made her want to stay in science.

Discovering Telomeres' Secrets

De Lange became interested in telomeres during her PhD studies. Telomeres are like protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes. Think of them like the plastic tips on shoelaces. They stop the ends of our DNA from getting damaged.

After her PhD, she continued her telomere research. She found that cancer cells often have much shorter telomeres. This discovery was a big step in showing how telomeres affect aging and cancer.

Telomeres are made of repeating DNA sequences, like TTAGGG. Every time our cells divide, these telomeres get a little shorter. This is a normal part of aging. But if they get too short, it can cause problems. Our cells have ways to fix damaged DNA. But they need to know the difference between a broken chromosome and a normal telomere end.

Proteins Protecting DNA Ends

At Rockefeller University, Titia de Lange focused on finding proteins that work with telomeres. She wanted to know how these proteins protect telomeres from damage. In 1995, she found a key protein called TRF1.

With her team, she studied TRF1 and other proteins. She discovered that TRF1 helps control how long telomeres are. She also suggested that TRF1 stops an enzyme called Telomerase from making telomeres too long. Telomerase can add DNA to telomeres, which helps keep them from getting too short.

Later, she and her team found another important protein called TRF2. They learned that TRF2 stops the ends of chromosomes from sticking together. This is very important for keeping our DNA stable.

The T-Loop and Shelterin

One of de Lange's biggest discoveries was the "t-loop" structure of telomeres. She worked with Jack Griffith to show this using special microscopes. They saw that TRF2 could make the linear telomere DNA form a loop. This loop hides the very end of the telomere. This way, the cell doesn't mistake the telomere for damaged DNA. This mechanism is crucial for protecting our chromosomes.

In 2005, de Lange made another major breakthrough. She realized that six telomere proteins work together as a team. She named this team "shelterin". This name comes from its job of "sheltering" or protecting chromosome ends.

The six proteins in shelterin are TRF1, TRF2, TIN2, Rap1, TPP1, and POT1. These proteins are special because they only go to telomeres. They also work only at telomeres and are there throughout the cell's life cycle. Shelterin makes sure telomeres are hidden from the cell's DNA damage sensors. Without shelterin, telomeres would be seen as damaged DNA. This would lead to big problems for the cell.

Titia de Lange's research has been incredibly valuable. It has greatly improved our understanding of telomeres. Her work has also helped us learn more about how cancer develops and how our genes stay healthy.

Awards and Honors

Titia de Lange has received many important awards for her work. Some of these include:

  • The Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research (2001)
  • The Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science (2011)
  • The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2013)
  • The Gairdner International Award (2014)
  • The Rosenstiel Award (2017)

She is also a member of many important scientific groups. These include the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the European Molecular Biology Organization. In 2022, she became a Foreign Member of the Royal Society.

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