Rate My Professor Steven James

Professor Steven James serves as Chairperson and Professor in the Biology Department at Gettysburg College, where he is also a member of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) program. A proud alumnus of Gettysburg College, he earned his BA in 1980, followed by an MS in 1983 and a PhD in 1989 from the University of Minnesota. Dr. James is a molecular biologist and geneticist whose research centers on eukaryotic molecular genetics, cancer biology, DNA damage responses, and meiosis. Utilizing the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans as a model organism, his laboratory employs techniques of genetic engineering, genetics, and cell biology to explore how normal cells accurately divide while cancer cells fail. A primary focus is understanding cellular responses to broken chromosomes, the most dangerous form of DNA injury. In somatic cells, unrepaired double-strand breaks (DSBs) are lethal, while imprecise repair can cause cancer. Paradoxically, during meiosis, germline cells deliberately induce DSBs to enable genetic exchange between homologous chromosomes. The James lab investigates genes nimO (never-in-mitosis) and snoA (suppressor-of-nimO), which repair accidental DSBs in somatic cells and regulate programmed DSBs in meiosis essential for gamete formation. Students in his lab have discovered the wdA protein, unique to fungi and absent in plants and animals, which governs microtubule cytoskeleton stability. Mutations in wdA cause microtubule instability and lethal mitotic catastrophe, positioning it as a potential antifungal drug target. Recent studies using immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry have identified wdA interactors to elucidate its function, incorporating genetic engineering, protein biochemistry, suppressor genetics, bioinformatics, and fluorescence microscopy.

Dr. James actively mentors undergraduate students year-round and during summers, resulting in numerous research projects, presentations, and co-authored publications. Notable student-led work includes studies on genetic interactions involving mcnC and wdA, microtubule dynamics in wdA mutants, tubulin pool quantification, and novel β-propeller proteins controlling microtubule stability. A key publication is James, SW et al., 'A reciprocal translocation involving Aspergillus nidulans snxA Hrb1/Gbp2 and gyfA uncovers a new regulator of the G2-M transition and reveals a role in transcriptional repression for the setB Set2 histone H3-lysine-36 methyltransferase' (GENETICS, 2022). His lab has secured NSF funding for molecular and cellular biology instrumentation. Dr. James teaches Molecular Genetics (Bio 351), Introduction to Bioinformatics (Bio/CS 251), and Biological Basis of Disease (Bio 102). He currently chairs both the Biology Department and BMB program.