Biographical Memoirs Volume 79 (2001) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Daniel Nathans
Daniel Nathans
Pages 262-279
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 263... ...
genetics en cl whose personal qualities hacl a profound impact on those who knew him, passed away in November 1999 at the age of 71. He was the University Professor of Molecular Biology en cl Genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he served on the faculty for 37 years, en c!
|
From page 264... ...
He then got wine! of the discovery of RNA bacteriophage in Norton Zincler's laboratory and showed that phage RNA could support the synthesis of viral coat protein in a cell-free system.
|
From page 265... ...
his later studies with restriction enzymes, he shown cl th at 5-fluorouracil-substitute cl ph age MS2 RNA generated subgenomic viral RNA fragments that encoclecl specific viral proteins. In the late 1960s Dan's animal virus colleagues, Bernard Roizman en cl Robert Wagner, left Hopkins, en cl Barry Wood asker!
|
From page 266... ...
circular DNA, a small size Dan found comfortable, this virus hacl the ability to grow lyrically in monkey cells en cl to cause permanent tumorigenic transformation of roclent cells. To learn how to grow en c!
|
From page 267... ...
In Dan's words, here were the "trypsins en cl chymotrypsins for DNA" that couIcl be usecl to recluce an apparently featureless DNA molecule into homogeneous, manageable pieces clerivec! from specific regions of the viral genome, onto which incliviclual genetic activities couIcl be mapped.
|
From page 268... ...
Here, he designed a gradient-of-label experiment, moclelecl on the experiment of Howard Dintzis to map the direction of protein translation in vitro, to cleter~, mine the temporal order of synthesis of specific viral DNA fragments in infected cells. In a figure that toIcl a story of a thousand words, the results were displayed, mapping the origin en c!
|
From page 269... ...
the demonstration that they were transcribed in divergent directions. The early work from Dan's laboratory usecl restriction enzymes to map various functions of the viral genome, however, there was soon a subtle shift from using these reagents to map viral RNA en cl DNA to using them to actually generate viral mutants en c!
|
From page 270... ...
by Dan as grounc! zero on the Hind cleavage map, similar analysis of SV40 by Joseph Sambrook, and the application of these techniques to bacteriophage (X-174 DNA by Clycle Hutchinson.
|
From page 271... ...
his early interests in SV40 large T antigen and sequencespecific recognition of the viral replication origin. This work brought Dan fame en c!
|
From page 272... ...
Werner Arber, who carrier! out the early genetic analysis of restriction en cl moclification in bacteria en cl who preclictecl the existence of restriction enzymes.
|
From page 273... ...
" He embraced young scientists, even those of us who clicl not immecliately grasp how the analysis of DNA fragments, clefinec! by the arbitrary cleavage specificities of bacterial enzymes, wouIcl revolutionize genetics.
|
From page 274... ...
When he began his studies dissecting the genome of SV40 in 1970, genes were terra incognita. The coastline hacl been roughly charted by classical genetic experiments, but the vast unbroken interior stretched on toward a distant horizon.
|
From page 275... ...
Another valuable source of information was the article he published on the occasion of his being awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology entitled, "Restriction Endonucleases, Simian Virus 40, and the New Genetics" (1979~. I am also greatly indebted to Thomas Kelly, Thomas Shenk, and Steven Desiderio, who encouraged me to commit my memories and thoughts to paper; to my friends and colleagues who shared their recollections of Dan with me; and to Keith Peden and Charles Radding, who provided helpful suggestions on this manuscript.
|
From page 276... ...
Nathans. Specific cleavage of simian virus 40 DNA by restriction endonuclease of Hemophilus inpuenzue.
|
From page 277... ...
Specific cleavage of simian virus 40 DNA by restriction endonuclease of Hemophilus inpuenzue.
|
From page 278... ...
A map of simian virus 40 transcription sites expressed in productively infected cells.
|
From page 279... ...
A naturally occurring truncated form of FOSB that inhibits fos jun transcriptional activity.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.