Jack D. Keene
Jack Donald Keene (born June 22, 1947) is a James B. Duke Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University. He studies how RNA works and how RNA interacts with proteins.
Key ideas and discoveries
- In the 1980s, he identified RNA recognition motif (RRM) proteins, the largest family of RNA-binding proteins in humans.
- He introduced the RIP (ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation) method to isolate specific RNA–protein complexes, helping map RNA targets of RNA-binding proteins.
- He helped develop the posttranscriptional operon and regulon (PTRO) model to explain how cells coordinate the regulation of many mRNAs after transcription.
- He proposed the RNA regulon concept, suggesting that mRNAs encoding proteins that work together can be controlled together by RNA-binding machinery.
- Keene identified the first human autoimmune antigen and, with colleagues, worked on autoimmune diseases and diagnostic approaches.
Early life and education
- Keene was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and attended Redlands High School in California.
- He started at UCLA, then transferred to the University of California, Riverside, where he earned an A.B. in 1969.
- He earned a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Washington in 1975.
- He did postdoctoral work in molecular virology at the NIH from 1974 to 1978.
Career at Duke
- Keene joined Duke University Medical Center in 1979.
- He served as chair of the department of microbiology from 1992 to 2002 and as director of basic sciences for the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center from 1995 to 2003.
- He became the James B. Duke Professor in 1997 and founded the Duke Center for RNA Biology in 1999.
Impact
- Keene’s work highlights how RNA-binding proteins influence RNA processing, transport, and degradation.
- His models (PTRO and RNA regulon) help explain how cells coordinate the production of proteins that work together.
- His diagnostic and autoimmune research contributed to understanding and detecting autoimmune diseases.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:49 (CET).