Jan Erzberger, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile

Biography

Dr. Erzberger received his undergraduate degree in Biological Chemistry from Harvard University and his Ph.D. Molecular and Cell Biology in the lab of James Berger at the University of California, Berkeley, studying DNA replication initiation in bacteria.

During his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Nenad Ban at the ETH Zürich, Dr. Erzberger focused on studies of the eukaryotic translation initiation machinery, developing a novel hybrid structural approach, combining x-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy and mass-spectrometry to investigate the role of eIF3, a large, multiprotein initiation factor.

Since joining the faculty of UT Southwestern in 2015, Dr. Erzberger has using integrative methodologies centered on cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate the assembly mechanism of the large (60S) ribosomal subunit, in particular the role of ATPases, GTPases and methyltransferases in carrying out RNA modification reactions to guide the accurate biogenesis of 60S subunits.

Education

Graduate School: Harvard College (1995), Biocchemical Sciences
Graduate School: Uni of California, Berkeley (2005), Molecular Biology

Research Interest

We investigate the enzymatic steps and quality-control mechanisms that guide ribosome maturation, and how codon usage patterns influence mRNA turnover during translation. To study these processes, we combine cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, advanced mass spectrometry, and computational modeling to define molecular mechanisms, map regulatory pathways, and identify small-molecule inhibitors that selectively target these processes in disease.

Publications

Featured Publications

A small molecule inhibitor of NVL suppresses tumor growth by blocking ribosome biogenesis.: Guo HH, Tao Y, Cruz VE, Fang M, Khivansara V, Xie S, Leach A, Reddy D, Peterson J, Kim J, Williams NS, Aurora A, Erzberger JP, De Brabander JK, Nijhawan D, bioRxiv 2025 Aug
Specific tRNAs promote mRNA decay by recruiting the CCR4-NOT complex to translating ribosomes.: Zhu X, Cruz VE, Zhang H, Erzberger JP, Mendell JT, Science 2024 Nov 386 6724 eadq8587
The DEAD-box ATPase Dbp10/DDX54 initiates peptidyl transferase center formation during 60S ribosome biogenesis.: Cruz VE, Weirich CS, Peddada N, Erzberger JP, Nat Commun 2024 Apr 15 1 3296
rRNA methylation by Spb1 regulates the GTPase activity of Nog2 during 60S ribosomal subunit assembly.: Sekulski K, Cruz VE, Weirich CS, Erzberger JP, Nat Commun 2023 Mar 14 1 1207
Sequence-specific remodeling of a topologically complex RNP substrate by Spb4.: Cruz VE, Sekulski K, Peddada N, Sailer C, Balasubramanian S, Weirich CS, Stengel F, Erzberger JP, Nat Struct Mol Biol 2022 Dec 29 12 1228-1238
A comprehensive landscape of 60S ribosome biogenesis factors.: Sailer C, Jansen J, Sekulski K, Cruz VE, Erzberger JP, Stengel F, Cell Rep 2022 02 38 6 110353
Molecular Landscape of the Ribosome Pre-initiation Complex during mRNA Scanning: Structural Role for eIF3c and Its Control by eIF5.: Obayashi E, Luna RE, Nagata T, Martin-Marcos P, Hiraishi H, Singh CR, Erzberger JP, Zhang F, Arthanari H, Morris J, Pellarin R, Moore C, Harmon I, Papadopoulos E, Yoshida H, Nasr ML, Unzai S, Thompson B, Aube E, Hustak S, Stengel F, Dagraca E, Ananbandam A, Gao P, Urano T, Hinnebusch AG, Wagner G, Asano K, Cell Rep 2024 Jun 43 6 114404
Structure of a yeast 40S-eIF1-eIF1A-eIF3-eIF3j initiation complex.: Aylett CH, Boehringer D, Erzberger JP, Schaefer T, Ban N Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 2015 Mar 22 3 269-71
Molecular architecture of the 40S·eIF1·eIF3 translation initiation complex.: Erzberger JP, Stengel F, Pellarin R, Zhang S, Schaefer T, Aylett CH, Cimermancic P, Boehringer D, Sali A, Aebersold R, Ban N Cell 2014 Aug 158 5 1123-35
Architecture of the large subunit of the mammalian mitochondrial ribosome.: Greber BJ, Boehringer D, Leitner A, Bieri P, Voigts-Hoffmann F, Erzberger JP, Leibundgut M, Aebersold R, Ban N Nature 2014 Jan 505 7484 515-9