Race for the Double Helix 3

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Class Notes On The Main Characters from the Race
for the Double Helix Slides created by Honors
Genetics Classes
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James D. Watson

April 6, 1928 Nationality English,
Scottish, Irish
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Educational Background

• As a boy James Watson spent eight years at Horace
  Mann Grammar school in Chicago, and two years at
  South Shore High School

• In the summer of 1943, James received a
  scholarship to the University of Chicago

• James received a B.Sc and a Ph.D in Zoology from
  Indiana University

• In 1950, James spent a year in Copenhagen, as a
  member of the National Research Council

• He began work at the Cavendish laboratory in
  October of 1952

• For two years Waston attended the California
  Institute of Technology as a Senior Research
  Fellow in Biology

• In 1955 Watson returned to Cavendish and worked
  with crick, publishing several papers on the
  principals of virus construction

• In 1956 Watson began working at Harvard, and is
  still involved there

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Watson and Crick

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Personal Life

• James Watson was born on April 6, 1928 in
  Chicago, the city where he lived for the
  beginning of his life

• Watson had a deep interest in bird watching and
  he did so throughout most of his life

• Watsons interest in bird watching lead to an
  even deeper interest in understanding genetics

• James married former Elizabeth Lewis and had two
  sons, named Rufus and Duncan

• Watsons recreational activities were walking and
  bird watching, both which he still enjoys doing

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Research Focus

• First effort in constructing DNA model in 1951
  (was unsatisfactory)

• Second effort based upon experimental evidence of
  the nucleic acid literature which resulted in the
  proposal of complementary double helical
  configuration

• At the same time, Watson was investigating the
  structure of TMV(a virus), using X-ray
  diffraction techniques. The purpose of this was
  to determine if its sub-units were helically
  arranged

• Watson and Crick suggested that the model was
  made of two chains of nucleotides, each in a
  helix, but biparallel. Matching base pairs
  interlocked in the middle of the double helix to
  keep the distance between the chain constant

• Watson worked on the Human Genome Project from
  1988 to 1992

• Then he continued his research on Cold Springs
  Harbor before becoming the head of the
  institution in 1994

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Watson and Crick with DNA model

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Francis Harry Compton crick
Born on June 8th, 1916, at Northampton, England
Oldest child of Harry Crick and Annie Elizabeth
Wilkins.
He has one brother, A.F. Crick, who is a doctor
in New Zealand.
During the war he worked as a scientist for the
British Admiralty, mainly in connection with
magnetic and acoustic mines. He left the
Admiralty in 1947 to study biology.
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Background Continued

• Crick was forced to stop because of the war in
  1939. He began working for the British Admiralty
  with magnetic and acoustic mines. In 1947, he
  left to study Biology.

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Scientific Characteristics

• Watson is wifty. Although he is very dedicated to
  finding the structure of the model of DNA his
  work didnt compare to that of Rosalind Franks.
  Watson went around with crick and collected
  information to deduce the final structure of DNA

• Watson enjoyed his job and felt joy in doing his
  experiments, but he also enjoyed having a good
  time at social gatherings and such.

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Watson receiving his Nobel prize
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Francis Harry Compton Crick

• Thanks to financial help by his family and a
  studentship from the Medical Research Council,
  Crick began working in Strangeways Research
  Laboratory. Shortly after he joined the Medical
  Research Council Unit and studied molecular
  biology. He eventually obtained a Ph.D in 1954
  after his studies with polypeptides and proteins.
  In 1947, Crick knew no biology, no organic
  chemistry, and practically no crystallography, so
  much of the next years was spent learning these
  subjects. Throughout the next few years, Crick
  worked with W. Cochran and V. Vand, figuring out
  the general theory of x-ray diffraction of the
  helix as he grew more knowledgeable in these
  fields.

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Educational Background

• Francis Harry Compton Crick was educated at
  Northampton Grammer School and Mill Hill School,
  London. He furthered his education on physics at
  University College, London, where he obtained a
  B.Sc. In 1937. He began doing research for a
  Ph.D. under Prof E. N. da C. Andrade.

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Because of his education, experience, and hard
work, Francis Harry Compton Crick was able to be
apart of a team who helped discover one of the
largest mysteries of life. That discovery was
DNA.
Adenine
Cytosine
Guanine
Thymine
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REASEARCH FOCUS

• Crick began working at Cambridge learning
  Biology, organic chemistry, and x-ray diffraction
  technology.
• He was investigating the structure of proteins.
• When Crick and Watson joined each other they
  began to make models of DNA based on previous
  research and they used Franklins x-ray
  diffraction technology.
• Crick eventually created a correct model for DNA
  along with Watson and was awarded the Nobel prize
  in 1962.

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INFLUENCES

• A critical influence in Cricks career was his
  friendship with J.D Watson, which lead to the
  proposal of the double helical structure for DNA
  and the general theory for the structure of
  viruses. Crick has also collaborated with many
  scientists such as A. Rich , S. Brenner, and D.R.
  Davies on his advances in the field of genetic
  code, structure of polyadenylic acid, and other
  elements of biochemistry helping to shape and
  perfect his scientific characteristics.

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The Scientific Characteristics of Francis Crick

• Cricks original interest lied in Physics, which
  he studied at University College in London,
  working towards his masters degree. His studies
  were interrupted by the outbreak of the war in
  1939.
• During the the war, Crick worked as a scientist
  for the British Admiralty, mainly in connection
  wit magnetic and acoustic mines. In 1947,
  however, he left the Admiralty to study biology.

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• In 1941 she graduated from Cambridge
• Then she started working on her doctorate. Her
  focus was on charcoal and coal, and how to use
  them efficiently.
• She published five papers on the subject and had
  her PhD before she was 26 years old.

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Rosalind Franklin

• Satisfaction doesnt come from knowing the
  solution. It comes from knowing why its the
  solution.

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Rosalinds Structure of DNA

• Form B vs. Form A
• Wet vs. Dry
• Where are the phosphates located?
• Helix or no helix?

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Coal A Valuable Natural Resource

• Resource management information
• High-strength carbon fibers
• Energy production with the help of graphite
• Classification system

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Structural Virology

• Tobacco Mosaic Virus
• X-ray diffraction contribution to immunology
• Polio virus

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X-Ray Diffraction

• What is X-Ray Diffraction?
• The most beautiful X-ray photographs of any
  substance ever taken (J.D. Bernal)

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Education

• The all girls school, that she attended in
  London, taught her chemistry and physics. At the
  age of 15 she decided she wanted to be a
  scientist.
• In 1938 she passed the examination for Cambridge
  University.
• Her father refused to pay because he didnt
  approve of university education for women.
• Her mother and aunt stepped in and they said they
  would pay for it.

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1958

• Rosalind found out that she had ovarian cancer
  and continued to work.
• She went through three operations and
  experimental chemotherapy.
• She had one remission that lasted 10 months.
• She worked up until a few weeks before her death
  at the age of 37.

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Maurice Wilkins

• Born on December 15, 1916
• Nationality New Zealand, British, and Irish

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Personal Life
Noble Prize Winners, December 1962 Maurice
Wilkins, Max Perutz, Francias Crick, John
Steinbeck, James Watson, and John Kendrew
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Maurice Hugh Fredrick Wilkins was born at
Pongaroa, New Zealand on December 15th, 1916
after his parents left Ireland. His father,
Edgar Henry Wilkins was a doctor in the School
Medical Service and was very interested in
research but had little opportunity for it.
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Wilkins was elected F.R.S. in 1959, given the
Albert Lasker Award with Watson and Crick by the
American Public Health Association in 1960, and
made Companion of the British Empire in 1962.
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He married Patricia Ann Chidgey in 1959 and they
have two children. They have a daughter named
Sarah, and a son George. He finds recreation in
collecting sculptures and in gardening.
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Maurice Wilkins
Educational Background
-At the age of 6 he was brought to England and
educated at King Edwards school in Birmingham.
-He studied Physics at St. Johns College and
received his degree in 1938.
-Then he went to Birmingham University and was
research assistant to J.T. Randall in the Physics
Department. Where they studied the luminescence
of solids. In 1940 he obtained a Ph.D.
-In 1945 he was a lecturer in physics at St.
Andrews University, Scotland, where J.T. Randall
was organizing biophysical studies.
-In 1946 he went to Kings College where he
studied the orientation of purines and
pyrimidines.
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Research Focus Of Maurice Wilkins
1938-Physics degree from St. Johns College,
Cambridge 1940-Obtained Ph.D, thesis on a study
of thermal stability of trapped electrons in
phosphors, and on the theory of
phosphoresence-Applied this to war based problems
like improving cathode ray tube screens for
radar 1943-Manhattan Project-American wartime
nuclear physics project-Research led to
completion of nuclear weapons, dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading Wilkins to become
a strong opponent of them 1945-Had spent 7 years
in physics, and decided to begin biophysics, a
new and appealing concept to Wilkins
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Research Focus Of Maurice Wilkins
1946-Member of new Medical Research Council
Biophysics Research Unit at Kings College,
London-First studied genetic effects of
ultrasonics-then moved on to development of
reflecting microscopes for UV micro-spectrophotome
try of nucleic acids in cells-To name a few
others-UV dichroism of oriented specimens,
arrangement of virus particles of TMV, dry mass
in cells with interference microscopes, and X-ray
diffraction studies of DNA and sperm heads-Led
tofiguring out molecular structure of DNA,
establishing the correct Watson-Crick DNA
structure
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Research Focus Of Maurice Wilkins
1950-Produced first images of DNA 1953-Using a
1952 X-ray diffraction photo from Wilkins and
Franklin, Watson and Crick built the correct and
precise model of DNA 1962-The Nobel Prize was
given to Watson, Wilkins, and Crick, for
Physiology and Medicine because of their
discoveries 1997-Wrote book titled Crick, Watson,
and DNA, which explained the tension in the
relationship between he and Franklin-he wasnt
sure how to act with a woman in his laboratory-
when they first met he assumed she was his
assistant-Said lab was very abnormal
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Scientific Characteristics
The DNA Enabler
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• Studied Physics at St. Johns College
• (PhD in 1940 thesis Thermal Stability of
  trapped electronsin phosphors, and the theory of
  phosphorescence)

• applied knowledge to war time problems
  (improvement of cathode ray tube screens for
  radar)

• Worked on the Manhattan Project (now opposes
  nuclear weapons)

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• Changed emphasis to BIOPHYSICS

• 1946- worked at Kings College, London as a member
  on the staff of the newly formed Medical
  Research Council Biophysics Research Unit

• Studied

-X-Ray Crystallography (applied to biology)
-Genetic effects of ultrasonics
-development of reflecting microscopes for
ultraviolet microspectrophotometry (nucleic acids
in cells)
-DOUBLE HELIX (orientation of purines and
pyrimidines in virus)