Arthur Kornberg

American biochemist

Arthur Kornberg (March 3, 1918 – October 26, 2007) was an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1959 for his discovery of "the mechanisms in the biological synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)" with Severo Ochoa of New York University.[2] He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1979.[3]

Arthur Kornberg
Arthur Kornberg
Born(1918-03-03)March 3, 1918
DiedOctober 26, 2007(2007-10-26) (aged 89)
Alma materUniversity of Rochester
Spouse(s)Sylvy Ruth Levy (1943-1986; her death; 3 children)
Charlene Walsh Levering (1988-1995; her death)
Carolyn Frey Dixon (1998-2007; his death)[1]
AwardsNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1959
Fellow of the Royal Society,
Paul-Lewis Award in Enzyme Chemistry, 1951
National Medal of Science 1979
Gairdner Foundation Award 1995;
Scientific career
FieldsMolecular biology
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Berkeley
National Institutes of Health
Washington University in St. Louis
Stanford University

His primary research interests were in biochemistry, especially enzyme chemistry, deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis (DNA replication) and studying the nucleic acids which control heredity in animals, plants, bacteria and viruses.

He is of Jewish descent.[4]

Arthur and Sylvy Kornberg had three sons: Roger Kornberg (1947), Thomas Kornberg (1948), and Kenneth Kornberg (1950). Roger is Professor of Structural Biology at Stanford University, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2006. Thomas discovered DNA polymerase II and III in 1970 and is now a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Kenneth is an architect specializing in the design of biomedical and biotechnology laboratories and buildings.

Books change

  • 1961. Enzymatic synthesis of DNA. John Wiley & Sons, 1961
  • 1974. DNA synthesis. W.H. Freeman, San Francisco. ISBN 0-7167-0586-9
  • 1980. DNA replication. W.H. Freeman, San Francisco. ISBN 0-7167-1102-8
    • 1992. DNA Replication, 2nd edition, with Tania A. Baker. W.H. Freeman, New York. ISBN 0-7167-2003-5
  • 1989. For the love of enzymes: the odyssey of a biochemist. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. ISBN 0-674-30776-3
  • 2002. The golden helix: inside biotech ventures. University Science Books. ISBN 1-891389-19-X

References change

  1. Altman, Lawrence K. (28 October 2007). "Arthur Kornberg, Biochemist, Dies at 89" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. Kresge, Nicole; Simoni, Robert D. Hill, Robert L. 2005. Arthur Kornberg's discovery of DNA polymerase. Int. J. Biol. Chem. 280, 46. free fulltext
  3. Arthur Kornberg, biochemist, dies at 89. The New York Times. [1]
  4. "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1959". NobelPrize.org.