Choh Hao Li

Born	1913 Guanzhou, China
Died	1987
Residence	America
Nationality	Chinese American
Field	Biochemist
Institution	University of Nanjing, University of California
Known for	Discovering and synthesizing the human pituitary growth hormone

Choh Hao Li (sometimes Cho Hao Li) (April 21, 1913—November 28, 1987) was a Chinese-born U.S. biochemist who discovered, in 1966, that human pituitary growth hormone (somatotropin) consists of a chain of 256 amino acids. In 1970 he succeeded in synthesizing this hormone, the largest protein molecule synthesized up to that time. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 474 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2274 × 2874 pixel, file size: 131 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) ^ U.S. Copyright Office Circular 38a ^ 17 U.S.C. §104A Source:history. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Location within China Canton, China redirects here. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... A Chinese American is an American who is of ethnic Chinese descent. ... A biochemist is a scientist trained and dedicated to producing results in the discipline of biochemistry. ... Nanjing University (南京大学, 南京大學, Pinyin: Nánjīng Dàxué; colloquially 南大, Pinyin Nándà) is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the world and became the first modern Chinese university in the early 1920s. ... The University of California (UC) is a public university system in the state of California. ... Located at the base of the skull, the pituitary gland is protected by a bony structure called the sella turcica. ... Norepinephrine A hormone (from Greek όρμή - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Located at the base of the skull, the pituitary gland is protected by a bony structure called the sella turcica. ... Norepinephrine A hormone (from Greek όρμή - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... Growth hormone is a polypeptide hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland which stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other vertebrate animals. ... In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. ... Norepinephrine A hormone (from Greek όρμή - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... In science, a molecule is a group of atoms in a definite arrangement held together by chemical bonds. ... Synthesis (from the Greek words syn = plus and thesis = position) is commonly understood to be an integration of two or more pre-existing elements which results in a new creation. ...

Li was born in Guangzhou and educated at the University of Nanjing. In 1935 he emigrated to the USA, where he took up postgraduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley and later joined the staff. He became professor in 1950. Guangzhou is the capital and the sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province in the southern part of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Nanjing University (南京大学, 南京大學, Pinyin: Nánjīng Dàxué; colloquially 南大, Pinyin Nándà) is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the world and became the first modern Chinese university in the early 1920s. ... The University of California (UC) is a public university system in the state of California. ... Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ...

Li spent his entire academic career studying the pituitary-gland hormones. In collaboration with various co-workers, he isolated several protein hormones, including adreno-corticotrophic hormone (ACTH), which stimulates the adrenal cortex to increase its secretion of corticoids. In 1956, Li and his group showed that ACTH consists of 39 amino acids arranged in a specific order, and that the whole chain of the natural hormone is not necessary for its action. He isolated another pituitary hormone called melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and found that not only does this hormone produce some effects similar to those produced by ACTH, but also that part of the amino acid chain of MSH is the same as that of ACTH. A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Hormone is also the NATO reporting name for the Soviet/Russian Kamov Ka-25 military helicopter. ... Norepinephrine A hormone (from Greek όρμή - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH or corticotropin) is a polypeptide hormone secreted from corticotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland in response to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) released by the hypothalamus. ... Layers of cortex. ... Corticosterone Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex. ... Norepinephrine A hormone (from Greek όρμή - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... The acronym MSH may stand for one of several things, including: Melanocyte-stimulating hormone - a hormone produced in the pituitary gland, and related to skin pigmentation. ... Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH or corticotropin) is a polypeptide hormone secreted from corticotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland in response to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) released by the hypothalamus. ... The acronym MSH may stand for one of several things, including: Melanocyte-stimulating hormone - a hormone produced in the pituitary gland, and related to skin pigmentation. ... Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH or corticotropin) is a polypeptide hormone secreted from corticotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland in response to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) released by the hypothalamus. ...

Other Biochemists

• Elmer Verner McCollum

Elmer Verner McCollum was born in 1879 and died in 1967. ...

Sources

• Biography and chronology
• UCSF School of Medicine biography
• Short biography