Israel Hanukoglu
[3] Israel Hanukoglu received his undergraduate degree cum laude with double majors in biology and psychology and a minor in political science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.His Ph.D. thesis research on the "Mechanism of electron transport to cytochrome P-450 in adrenal cortex mitochondrial steroid monooxygenase systems" was carried out under the supervision of Prof. Colin R. Jefcoate.Hanukoglu's career in molecular biology started at the Department of Biochemistry of the University of Chicago (1980–1983 with Elaine Fuchs), where he cloned and sequenced cDNAs coding for cytoskeletal proteins, actin[4] and alpha keratins.[7][8] During his Ph.D. thesis research, Israel isolated the mitochondrial enzymes that catalyze the first step in the synthesis of steroid hormones in all steroidogenic tissues, including the adrenal cortex, and the reproductive organs.[12][9] In his first academic position at the Department of Biology at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, he first determined the molar stoichiometry of the mitochondrial P450 system proteins using specific antibodies that he generated.By their collaborative work that also included additional labs, the Hanukoglu brothers discovered that the severe forms of pseudohypoaldosteronism type I result from mutations in three genes (SCNN1A, SCNN1B, and SCNN1B) that encode for protein subunits of the Epithelial sodium (Na+) channel (ENaC).[35][36] Their work on the structure of ENaC subunits led to the identification of charged residues and regions responsible for transport of the protein to membrane and for regulation of extracellular Na+ ions.[40] These studies establish that ENaC is an important regulator of fluid level in the luminal side of cells with motile cilia in the female reproductive and respiratory tract.[3] Hanukoglu has been an editorial board member/Associate editor in five journals, including Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, BMC Biotechnology, Cells, Frontiers in Renal and Epithelial Physiology, and Gene.[3] Hanukoglu's website, the Israel Science and Technology Homepage, had included a page captioned, "Long-Form Birth Certificate of Obama is a Forged Document.