In memoriam: Michael J. Chamberlin

Michael J. Chamberlin, an editorial board member of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and a pioneer in the study of transcription, died on November 1 at age 88. He was an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology member for nearly 60 years. He was also an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Michael J. Chamberlin

Born June 7, 1937, in Chicago, Chamberlin received a B.S. in chemistry from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford University. After earning his Ph.D., Chamberlin joined the University of California, Berkeley, as a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.

Chamberlin advanced the study of RNA polymerases and transcription regulation. In graduate school, Chamberlin worked with Nobel prize–winning biochemist Paul Berg and was the first to isolate RNA polymerase from E. coli.

Chamberlin discovered that RNA polymerases regulate gene activity, a function that was unknown at the time. He showed that transcription begins when RNA polymerase binds to DNA and locates a specific promoter. In 1974, he published three JBC papers that led to a model for RNA chain initiation by RNA polymerase.

In 2021, the Stanford Medicine Alumni Association honored Chamberlin with the Arthur Kornberg and Paul Berg Lifetime Achievement Award in Biomedical Sciences.

In Stanford’s video on Chamberlin’s legacy, Jasper Rine, professor of genetics and development at UC Berkeley, said that messenger RNA vaccines “were made possible by the pioneering work (Chamberlin) did on bacteriophage RNA polymerases in the 1970s and 1980s.”

Colleagues described Chamberlin as energized, intense, enthusiastic, magnetic and warm. ASBMB President Joan Conaway described Chamberlin as a valuable informal mentor and friend who helped her and her husband, especially in the earliest stages of their careers.

"Mike was special: a scientist of uncommon rigor and integrity, who helped shape the transcription field and inspired many,” she said.

Chamberlin is survived by his wife, Caroline Kane, a professor in residence emerita at UC Berkeley, and his brothers Peter, Steve and Tom.