Perry Blackshear

Perry Blackshear, M.D., D.Phil. is a Scientist Emeritus and Senior Investigator in the Signal Transduction Laboratory at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health. He leads the Post-Transcriptional Gene Expression Group, where his research focuses on how RNA-binding proteins—especially the tristetraprolin (TTP) family—regulate mRNA stability and translation in response to environmental and inflammatory stimuli.

Education & Training:

• D.Phil. in Biochemistry, University of Oxford, 1974
• M.D., Harvard Medical School, 1977
• Internship & Residency in Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Fellowship in Endocrinology, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School

Research Interests: Dr. Blackshear’s laboratory investigates the post-transcriptional control of gene expression, specifically how the TTP family of CCCH tandem zinc finger proteins promotes mRNA deadenylation and decay. They explore the biochemical mechanisms underlying this process, identify physiological mRNA targets, and examine roles in inflammation, immune responses, and placental and hematopoietic development. His group also pursues translational goals, screening chemical libraries for compounds that enhance TTP expression and searching human populations for TTP variants linked to inflammatory disease susceptibility.

Recent work extends to comparative studies in yeast and structural biology approaches to understand how evolutionarily conserved RNA-binding modules operate across species.

Publication Trends: Over the past decade, Dr. Blackshear’s publications emphasize mechanistic dissection of TTP function—using knock-in mouse models, biochemical assays, and structural analyses to map critical protein–RNA and protein–protein interactions. Studies highlight coordinated control of primary and secondary inflammatory responses, the impact of TTP deficiency on immune-mediated pathologies, and the functional conservation of TTP-related proteins.

Scientific Awards & Honors:
No specific awards are listed in the provided text.

Grants & Funding:
While grant numbers are not stated, ongoing projects include NIH-supported chemical library screening for TTP-inducing compounds and population genetics studies of human TTP variants.

Laboratory & Team: Dr. Blackshear heads the Post-Transcriptional Gene Expression Group within NIEHS’s Signal Transduction Laboratory, located in the David P. Rall Building at Research Triangle Park, NC. The group employs an interdisciplinary mix of molecular biology, mouse genetics, structural biology, and translational pharmacology approaches.