1840 HÜNEFELD, Friedrich Ludwig (1799 – 1882)
Der Chemismus in der thierischen Organisation.
Hünefeld accidentally observed the first protein crystals— those of hemoglobin—in partically dried samples of mammalian blood blood pressed between glass plates. On page 160 Hünefeld noted that he had seen, in some sa…
GMN 6921 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/9086
1847 PASTEUR, Louis (1822 – 1895)
Thèses de physique et de chimie, Presentées à la Faculté des Sciences de Paris.
Pasteur reported a series of “investigations into the relation between optical activity, crystalline structure, and chemical composition in organic compounds, particularly tartaric and paratartaric acids. This work fo…
GMN 6922 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/9087
1909 REICHERT, Edward Tyson (1855 – 1931); BROWN, Amos Peaslee (1864 – 1917)
The differentiation and specificity of corresponding proteins and other vital substances in relation to biological classification and organic evolution: The crystallography of hemoglobins.
This massive work with 100 plates including 600 images, was the first large-scale investigation of species differences at the molecular level. Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.
GMN 6845 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/9009
1934 BERNAL, John Desmond (1901 – 1971); HODGKIN, Dorothy Crowfoot (1910 – 1994)
X-Ray photographs of crystalline pepsin.
Bernal and Hodgkin took the first X-ray photograph of a protein structure—crystalline pepsin. They showed that crystals of pepsin give an X-ray diffaction pattern, beginning protein crystallography. This may also be t…
GMN 6923 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/9088
1938 HAUROWITZ, Felix (1896 – 1987)
Das Gleichgewicht zwischen Hämoglobin and Sauerstoff.
Haurowitz discovered that crystalline deoxyhemoglobin changes in shape and color on reaction with oxygen, suggesting that it is a molecular lung.
GMN 6915 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/9080
1951 PAULING, Linus Carl (1901 – 1994); COREY, Robert Brainard (1897 – 1971); BRANSON, Herman Russell (1914 – 1995)
The structure of proteins: Two hydrogen-bonded configurations of the polypeptide chain.
Pauling, his crystallographer R. B. Corey, and African-American physicist and chemist H.R. Branson announced the α-helix, a principal structural feature of proteins. Digital facsimile from the National Academy of Scie…
GMN 6846 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/9010
1954 INGRAM, Vernon Martin (1924 – 2006); PERUTZ, Max Ferdinand (1914 – 2002); GREEN, David W. ( – 1976)
The structure of haemoglobin - IV. Sign determination by the isomorphous replacement method.
The first demonstration of isomorphous replacement in protein crystallography. This was a key step in determination of the structure of large biological molecules. Harittai, "On the origins of isomorphous replacement …
GMN 14223 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/16540
1975 PHILLIPS, James Charles (1933 – ); WLODAWER, Alexander; HODGSON, Keith O. (1947 – ); ET AL
Application of synchrotron radiation to protein crystallography: Preliminary results.
First report on the application of synchrotron radiation to protein crystallography. Order of authorship in the original publication: Phillips, Wlodwawer..., Hodgson. Digital facsimile from pnas.org at this link. "Syn…
GMN 14006 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/16311
1981 YONATH, Ada E. (1939 – ); APPELT, Krzysztof; DIJK, Jan; ET AL
The crystallization of ribsomal proteins from the 50 S subunit of the Escherichia coli and Bacillus stearothermophilus ribosome.
The authors crystallized fragments of the 50S subunit of a thermophile bacterium’s ribosome to 3 angstroms resolution. Order of authorship in the original publication: Appelt, Dyck, et al., Yonath. Digital facsimile f…
GMN 14224 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/16541
1996 TSIEN, Roger Yonchien (1952 – 2016); ORMÖ, Mats F.; CUBITT, Andrew; KALLIO, Karen; REMINGTON, S. James; ET AL
Crystal structure of Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein.
Tsien and colleagues published the crystal structure of the 238 A.A. long green fluorescent protein (GFP). With this data, the authors could determine what had to be modified within the protein in such a way that the …
GMN 13565 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/15843
