David B. Roth, M.D., Ph.D.
Irene Diamond Professor of Immunology and Chair of the Department of Pathology
Investigator, Program in Molecular Pathogenesis, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute
Director, M.D./Ph.D. Program
Experimental Pathology, Immunology, Molecular Oncology, Pathobiology, Surgical Pathology / V(D)J Recombination, Lymphomagenesis
roth@saturn.med.nyu.edu, (212) 263 0945
Fax: (212) 263 5980
550 First Avenue, MSB 555, New York, NY 10016
Research and Clinical Interests
Dr. Roth has a longstanding interest in DNA repair and the mechanisms of programmed gene rearrangements during lymphocyte differentiation. His lab is currently investigating mechanisms by which the V(D)J recombinase (the Rag proteins), which catalyzes these rearrangements, collaborates with the cellular DNA repair machinery to prevent oncogenic chromosome rearrangements that frequently underlie leukemias and lymphomas. His other clinical interests include Omenn syndrome and SCID.
Selected Publications
Dynan W, Takeda Y, Roth D, Bao G. Understanding and re-engineering nucleoprotein machines to cure human disease. Nanomed. 2008 Feb;3(1):93-105. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 18393669. doi: 10.2217/17435889.3.1.93.
Corneo B, Wendland RL, Deriano L, Cui X, Klein IA, Wong SY, Arnal S, Holub AJ, Weller GR, Pancake BA, Shah S, Brandt VL, Meek K, Roth DB. Rag mutations reveal robust alternative end joining. Nature. 2007 Sep 27;449(7161):483–6. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17898768. doi: 10.1038/nature06168.
Posey JE, Pytlos MJ, Sinden RR, Roth DB. Target DNA structure plays a critical role in RAG transposition. PLoS Biology. 2006 Nov;4(11):e350. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17105341.
Lu CP, Sandoval H, Brandt V, Rice PA, Roth DB. Amino acid residues in Rag1 crucial for DNA hairpin formation. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 2006 Nov;13(11):1010–5. Epub 2006 Oct 8. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17028591.
Lee GS, Neiditch MB, Salus SS, Roth DB. RAG proteins shepherd double-strand breaks to a specific repair pathway, suppressing error-prone repair, but RAG nicking stimulates homologous recombination. Cell. 2004 Apr 16;117(2):171–84. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 15084256.
Lee GS, Neiditch MB, Sinden RR, Roth DB. Targeted transposition by the V(D)J recombinase. Mol. Cell. Biol. 2002 Apr;22(7):2068–77. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 1884595.
Neiditch MB, Lee GS, Huye LE, Brandt VL, Roth DB. The V(D)J recombinase efficiently cleaves and transposes signal joints. Molecular Cell. 2002 Apr;9(4):871–78. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11983177.
Landree MA, Kale SB, Roth DB. Functional organization of single and paired V(D)J cleavage complexes. Mol. Cell. Biol. 2001 Jul;21(13):4256–64. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11390654.
Qiu JX, Kale SB, Yarnell Schultz H, Roth DB. Separation-of-function mutants reveal critical roles for RAG2 in both the cleavage and joining steps of V(D)J recombination. Molecular Cell. 2001 Jan;7(1):77–87. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11172713.
Yarnell Schultz H, Landree MA, Qiu JX, Kale SB, Roth DB. Joining-deficient RAG1 mutants block V(D)J recombination in vivo and hairpin opening in vitro. Molecular Cell. 2001 Jan;7(1):65–75. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11172712.
Landree MA, Wibbenmeyer JA, Roth DB. Mutational analysis of RAG1 and RAG2 identifies three catalytic amino acids in RAG1 critical for both cleavage steps of V(D)J recombination. Genes and Development. 1999 Dec 1;13(23):3059–69. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 10601032.
Han JO, Steen SB, Roth DB. Intermolecular V(D)J recombination is prohibited specifically at the joining step. Molecular Cell. 1999 Mar;3(3):331–8. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 10198635.
Zhu C, Bogue MA, Lim DS, Hasty P, Roth DB. Ku86-deficient mice exhibit severe combined immunodeficiency and defective processing of V(D)J recombination intermediates. Cell. 1996 Aug 9;86(3):379–89. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 8756720.
Selected Books
Roitt IM, Brostoff J, Roth DB, Male DK, editors. Immunology. 7th edition. London: Mosby Press; 2006.
Travis WD, Roth DB. Histopathologic evaluation of lung biopsies in the immunosuppressed host. In: Shelhamer J, Pizzo PA, Parillo JE, Masur H, editors. Respiratory Disease in the Immunosuppressed Host. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co; 1991. pp. 182–217.
Organizational Associations
Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society; American Association of University Pathologists; The Harvey Society; Editorial Board, Nucleic Acids Research
Selected Awards
1997-2002 Assistant Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
1998 Innovative Teaching Award from the American Medical Association
1995-1998 Charles E. Culpeper Medical Scholar
1991-1993 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship for Physicians
1988 M.D. with High Honors, Baylor College of Medicine
1986-1988 Hudson Scholar, M.D./Ph.D. Program, Baylor College of Medicine
1977-1981 National Merit/Cohn Scholar, Rice University
2008 Distinguished Teacher in the Basic Sciences Award, NYU Medical School Class of 2008
2006 Teacher of the Year Award, NYU Medical School Class of 2009
2005 Teacher of the Year, First Year Medical Students (NYU)
2002 Teaching Excellence Award from Baylor Graduate Students
2001 Teaching Excellence Award from Baylor Graduate Students
2000 Outstanding Teacher Award, BCM Second Year Medical School Class
1999 Best Syllabus Award for Immunology Course from Medical School students
1999 Teaching Excellence Award from Baylor Graduate Students
Hospital Affiliations
Tisch Hospital
