Robert W. Holley, the structure of a tRNA is shown in the background

Dr Robert W. Holley (January 28, 1922 - February 11, 1993) was an American biochemist, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968 for describing the structure of alanine transfer RNA, linking DNA and protein synthesis. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links R_W_Holley-1. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links R_W_Holley-1. ... Transfer RNA (abbreviated tRNA) is a small RNA chain (74-93 nucleotides) that transfers a specific amino acid to a growing polypeptide chain at the ribosomal site of protein synthesis during translation. ... Jump to: navigation, search January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Biochemistry is the chemistry of life. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physiology or Medicine from 1901 to the present day. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Transfer RNA (abbreviated tRNA) is a small RNA chain (74-93 nucleotides) that transfers a specific amino acid to a growing polypeptide chain at the ribosomal site of protein synthesis during translation. ... Jump to: navigation, search Space-filling model of a section of DNA molecule Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life (and many viruses). ... Biological and artificial methods for creation of proteins differ significantly. ...

Holley was born in Urbana, Illinois, and graduated from Urbana High School in 1938. He went on to study chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating in 1942 and commencing his PhD studies in organic chemistry at Cornell University. During World War II Holley spent two years working under Professor Vincent du Vigneaud at Cornell University Medical College, where he was involved in the first chemical synthesis of penicillin. Holley completed his PhD studies in 1947. A snowy day in Carle Park west of the Urbana High School. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chemistry (in Greek: χημεία) is the science of matter that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of substances and with the transformations that they undergo. ... Jump to: navigation, search University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign   The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also known as UIUC and the U of I (the officially preferred abbreviation), is a large public university, the largest campus in the University of Illinois system. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the year. ... PhD usually refers to the academic title Doctor of Philosophy PhD can also refer to the manga Phantasy Degree This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Jump to: navigation, search Organic chemistry is the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and synthesis of organic compounds that by definition contain carbon. ... Jump to: navigation, search For other uses of the name Cornell, see Cornell (disambiguation). ... Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that... Vincent du Vigneaud (May 18, 1901 - December 11, 1978) was a U.S. biochemist. ... Jump to: navigation, search Penicillin is a β-lactam antibiotic used in the treatment of bacterial infections caused by susceptible, usually Gram-positive, organisms. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Following his graduate studies Holley remained associated with Cornell, he became an Assistant Professor of organic chemistry in 1948, and was appointed as Professor of Biochemistry in 1962. He began his research on RNA after spending a years sabbatical (1955 - 1956) studying with James F. Bonner at the California Institute of Technology. Jump to: navigation, search 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a nucleic acid consisting of a string of covalently-bound nucleotides. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search The California Institute of Technology (commonly known as Caltech) is a private, coeducational university located in Pasadena, California, in the United States. ...

Holley's research on RNA focussed first on isolating transfer RNA (tRNA), and later on determining the sequence and structure of alanine tRNA, the molecule that incorporates the amino acid alanine into proteins. Holley's team of researchers determined the tRNA's structure by using two ribonucleases to split the tRNA molecule into pieces. Each enzyme split the molecule at location points for specific nucleotides. By a process of "puzzling out" the structure of the pieces split by the two different enzymes, then comparing the pieces from both enzyme splits, the team eventually determined the entire structure of the molecule. Jump to: navigation, search Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a nucleic acid consisting of a string of covalently-bound nucleotides. ... Transfer RNA (abbreviated tRNA) is a small RNA chain (74-93 nucleotides) that transfers a specific amino acid to a growing polypeptide chain at the ribosomal site of protein synthesis during translation. ... Transfer RNA (abbreviated tRNA) is a small RNA chain (74-93 nucleotides) that transfers a specific amino acid to a growing polypeptide chain at the ribosomal site of protein synthesis during translation. ... Jump to: navigation, search In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. ... Alanine is one of the 20 most common natural amino acids. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Ribonuclease (RNase) is an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of RNA into smaller components. ...

The structure was completed in 1964, and was a key discovery in explaning the synthesis of proteins from messenger RNA. It was also the first nucleotide sequence of a ribonucleic acid ever determined. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968 for this discovery, Har Gobind Khorana and Marshall W. Nirenberg were also awarded the prize in that year for contributions to the understanding of protein synthesis. Jump to: navigation, search 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Translation in the cytoplasm; tRNA carries amino acids which are added to the growing peptide chain in the ribosome. ... The interaction of mRNA in a eukaryote cell. ... Jump to: navigation, search Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a nucleic acid consisting of a string of covalently-bound nucleotides. ... Jump to: navigation, search Har Gobind Khorana (born January 9, 1922) is a molecular biologist. ... Marshall Nirenberg won a Nobel Prize in 1968 Marshall Warren Nirenberg (born April 10, 1927) was a U.S. biochemist and geneticist. ...

Using Holley team's method, other scientists determined the structures of the remaining tRNA's. A few years later the method was modified to help track the sequence of nucleotides in various bacterial, plant, and human viruses. Jump to: navigation, search A virus is a nonliving small particle that infects cells in biological organisms. ...

In 1968 Holley became a resident fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. Jump to: navigation, search 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Salk Institute Salk Institute The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is an independent non-profit educational research organization in La Jolla, California. ... One of the beaches at La Jolla Cove. ...

References

• USDA ARS. Probing the Mystery of Life
• Nobelprize.org. Robert W. Holley – Biography.
• Thavanathan, R. and Morgan,S. Who was the mysterious and possibly dangerous man we call ..........Robert W. Holley (1922-1993) ?

External link

• Holley's Nobel Lecture
• Holley's training as a chemist did not alter his basic interest in living things