NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Walter Fiers

Walter Fiers was born in Ieper (Belgium) in 1931. He obtained a degree of Engineer for Chemistry and Agricultural Industries at the University of Ghent in 1954, and started his research career as an enzymologist in the laboratory of Laurent Vandendriessche in Ghent. In 1956-57, he worked with Heinz Holter in Copenhagen (Denmark). In 1960, he obtained a fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation and joined the group of Bob Sinsheimer as a postdoc. At the Rockefeller Foundation Walter Fiers was exposed to Molecular Biology, which was then just developing, studying viral DNA. He demonstrated the physical, covalently closed circularity of Bacteriophage PhiX-174 DNA. In 1962, Fiers moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to work in the laboratory of future Nobel laureate, Gobind Khorana. Ypres (French, generally used in English1; Ieper official name in the local Dutch/Flemish) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Ghent University (in Dutch, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated UGent) is one of the two large Flemish universities. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Copenhagen (IPA: , rhyming with pagan (the way the Danes themselves pronounce the name of the capital in English), or , with a as in spa; Danish IPA: ) is the capital of Denmark and the countrys largest city (metropolitan population 1,211,542 (2006)), at present made up of 16 municipalities. ... The Rockefeller Foundation is a charitable organization based in New York City. ... Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. ... The general structure of a section of DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the biological development of a cellular form of life or a virus. ... A bacteriophage (from bacteria and Greek phagein, to eat) is a virus that infects bacteria. ... The Phi-X174 phage was the first organism to have its genome sequenced. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... // Traditionally, Madison was a surname, meaning son of Maud. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Nobel Prizes (pronounced no-BELL or no-bell) are awarded annually to people who have done outstanding research, invented groundbreaking techniques or equipment, or made outstanding contributions to society. ... Har Gobind Khorana (born January 9, 1922) is a molecular biologist. ...

At the end of 1962, Fiers returned to Belgium and set up the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the University of Ghent. His research involved Bacteriophage MS2; he was the first to establish the complete nucleotide sequence of a gene (1972) and of a viral genome (bacteriophage MS2)(1976). In 1987 Fiers and his team determined the complete nucleotide-sequence of SV40. The development of totally new procedures and knowledge led to the ability to clone almost any gene and to express these efficiently in bacteria or in other heterologous hosts. 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... The bacteriophage MS2 or Bacillus phage M2 (Caudovirales, Podoviridae) infects Bacillus subtilis. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... SV40 is an abbreviation for Simian vacuolating virus 40 or Simian virus 40, a polyomavirus that is found in both monkeys and humans. ...

In 1997 Fiers retired and became Professor Emeritus, and the following year he retired from his position as director of the Laboratory. In 1989 Fiers was awarded the Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

Fiers, W., and R. L. Sinsheimer, The structure of the DNA of bacteriophage PhiX 174. III. Ultracentrifuge evidence for a ring structure, J. Mol. Biol. 5:424-434, 1962
Fiers W, Contreras R, Haegemann G, Rogiers R, Van de Voorde A, Van Heuverswyn H, Van Herreweghe J, Volckaert G, Ysebaert M., Complete nucleotide-sequence of SV40 DNA, Nature, 273, 113-120, 1978
Fiers W, Contreras R, Duerinck F, Haegeman G, Iserentant D, Merregaert J, Min Jou W, Molemans F, Raeymaekers A, Van den Berghe A, Volckaert G, Ysebaert M., Complete nucleotide-sequence of bacteriophage MS2-RNA - primary and secondary structure of replicase gene, Nature, 260, 500-507, 1976
Min Jou W, Haegeman G, Ysebaert M, Fiers W., Nucleotide sequence of the gene coding for the bacteriophage MS2 coat protein, Nature. 1972 May 12;237(5350):82-8.
Remaut E et al., Plasmid vectors for high-efficiency expression controlled by the PL promoter of coliphage-lambda, Gene, 15, 81-93, 1981

References var ACE_AR = {Site: '756743', Size: '300250'};

See also

References