Judy Levine is a Professor of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, teaching a variety of courses related to cell biology and biochemistry. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at U.C. Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral work at U.C. San Francisco and Johns Hopkins University before joining Goucher’s faculty in 1992. Her research over the years has focused on characterizing the molecular interactions that control the first step in gene expression – the copying of genetic information from DNA to RNA, and the regulation of this process. Pedagogically, Dr. Levine prioritizes the development of activities and resources to make science accessible and understandable to all students, to actively engage students in learning about structure-function relationships at the molecular level in biological systems, and to better integrate the sciences with the liberal arts and Goucher’s values of social justice and data-driven decision making. For example, she recently designed and taught an interdisciplinary course for non-science majors on the science and societal ramifications of genome editing, and in a recent seminar course for majors on cellular mechanisms underlying aging, the pros and cons – from individual, societal and environmental perspectives – of the potential ability to significantly increase human lifespan were reflected on and debated.
Studies of Structure-Function Relationships in Transcriptional Pausing by Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase - Julia Nguyen '15 and Laura Ojeda '15
Use of Nucleotide Analogs to Analyze the Effect of a Downstream A-tract on Transcriptional
Pausing by E. coli RNA Polymerase In Vitro - Amanda Lee '12
Use of Sequence Swapping to Dissect the Effect of Downstream Sequences on Transcriptional
Pausing by E. coli RNA Polymerase In Vitro - Reema Khanchandani '11
Role of the Non-template Strand in the Effect of a Downstream A-tract on Transcriptional
Pausing by E. coli RNA Polymerase In Vitro - Chandana Lanka '10
Use of Site-Directed Mutagenesis to Construct a Mutant E. coli RNA Polymerase Altered in a Region that Contacts Downstream DNA - Laura Marino '09
Lanka, C. (Goucher ’10), Marino, L. (Goucher ’09), Palangat, M., Landick, R. and Levin, J., “The Effect of A-Tract-Induced DNA Bending on Transcriptional Elongation by E. coli RNA Polymerase,” Poster Presentation, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference on “Mechanisms and Regulation of Prokaryotic Transcription,” Saxtons River, VT, June 21-26, 2009.
Wang, Q., Tullius, T.D. and Levin, J.R., “Effects of Discontinuities in the DNA Template on Abortive Initiation and Promoter Escape by Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase,” Journal of Biological Chemistry, 282, 26917-26927, 2007.
Levin, J.R., Blake, J.J., Ganunis, R.A. and Tullius, T.D., “The Roles of Specific Template Nucleosides in the Formation of Stable Transcription Complexes by Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase,” Journal of Biological Chemistry, 275, 6885-6893, 2000.
NIH R15 (AREA) Research Grant, $150,000, "The Effect of DNA Bending on Transcriptional
Elongation by E. coli RNA Polymerase," 2007-2010
NIH American Recovery & Reinvestment Act Administrative Supplement, $69,439, "The
Effect of DNA Bending on Transcriptional Elongation by E. coli RNA Polymerase," 2009-2010
Research Corporation Cottrell College Science Award, $34,000, "Chemical footprinting
studies of transcriptional elongation by E. coli RNA polymerase," 1992-1994
Studies of Structure-Function Relationships in Transcriptional Pausing by Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase, 16th Annual UMBC Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences, Catonsville, MD (with *J Nguyen and *L Ojeda) 2013
Investigation of Downstream DNA Effects on Elongational Pausing by E. coli RNA Polymerase, 12th Annual UMBC Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences, Catonsville, MD (with *C Lanka, *R Khanchandani, and *C. Crook) 2009
The Effect of A-Tract-Induced DNA Bending on Transcriptional Elongation by E. coli RNA Polymerase, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Conference on "Mechanisms and Regulation of Prokaryotic Transcription," Saxtons River, VT, June 21-26, 2009 (with *C Lanka, *L Marino, M Palangat and R Landick)
The Effect of A-Tract-Induced DNA Bending on Transcriptional Elongation by E. coli RNA Polymerase, 11th Annual UMBC Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences, Catonsville, MD (with *C Lanka and *L Marino) 2008
Effects of A-Tract-Directed DNA Bending on Transcriptional Elongation by Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase, FASEB Conference on "Mechanisms & Regulation of Prokaryotic Transcription," Saxtons River, VT, June 23-28, 2007 (poster, with *V Tucker)
Effect of Single Nucleoside Template Gaps on Abortive Initiation and Promoter Escape by E. coli RNA Polymerase, FASEB Conference on "Mechanisms & Regulation of Prokaryotic Transcription," Saxtons River, VT, June 18-23, 2005 (poster, with Q Wang and T Tullius)
* undergraduate student co-authors