Donald Caspar
Donald L. D. Caspar | |
---|---|
Born | January 8, 1927 |
Died | November 27, 2021 Tallahassee, Florida | (aged 94)
Nationality | American |
Other names | Don Caspar |
Citizenship | American |
Alma mater | Cornell University(BA) Yale University(PhD) |
Awards | Fellow of the Biophysical Society Award |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Structural biology |
Institutions | California Institute of Technology Florida State University Brandeis University Birkbeck, University of London King's College London |
Thesis | The Radial Structure of Tobacco Mosaic Virus(1955) |
Doctoral advisor | Ernest C. Pollard |
Other academic advisors | Max Delbrück Rosalind Franklin |
Doctoral students | Stephen C. Harrison[1] |
Other notable students | Kenneth Holmes(postdoctoral researcher)[1] |
Website | Florida State University page |
Donald L. D. Caspar(January 8, 1927 - November 27, 2021) was an Americanstructural biologist(the very term he coined) known for his works on the structures of biological molecules, particularly of thetobacco mosaic virus.[2][3][4]He was an emeritus professor of biological science at the Institute of Molecular Biophysics,Florida State University,[5]and an emeritus professor of biology at the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center,Brandeis University.[6]He has made significant scientific contributions in virus biology, X-ray,neutronandelectron diffraction,and protein plasticity.
Caspar completed his BA in physics fromCornell Universityin 1950. He joinedYale Universityfrom where he earned his PhD in biophysics in 1955.[3]He was supervised byErnest C. Pollard.His thesis was on the structure of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) titledThe Radial Structure of Tobacco Mosaic Virus.While waiting for his degree he worked underMax Delbrückat theCalifornia Institute of Technologyas post doctoral student.[7]He worked withJames D. Watson,with whom he had close professional association throughout his career. After receiving his PhD, he went to England having been awarded a fellowship atKing's College LondonunderRosalind Franklinand during 1955–1956 worked with her atBirkbeck Collegein London. Their meeting was fruitful both personally and professionally. He remained one of Franklin's closest friends during her brief lifetime. In 1956 he and Franklin published individual but complementary papers in the March 10 issue ofNature,together showing that TMV was a hollow rod, rather than a solid structure as generally believed. They also demonstrated thatRNAin TMV was wound along the inner surface of the hollow virus.[8][9]He was not a particularly enthusiastic writer; as a result, Franklin had to write every word of his paper.[10]
At Birkbeck one of his colleagues wasAaron Klugwith whom he developed research collaborations throughout his career.[11]In 1962, they introduced the concept of quasi-equivalence to account for the arrangement ofproteinson the surface oficosahedralvirus particles.[12]Caspar-Klug theoryhas played an important part in shaping the subsequent study of viruses and othermacromolecular assemblies.The original concept was based mainly onelectron microscopestudies, and has now been refined to take account of the atomic resolution structure ofviruses,and other details ofprotein–protein interactionsthatcrystallographyhas elucidated. Quasi-equivalence continues to be an important component of the philosophical basis for how we think about macromolecular assemblies.[5]
In 1994 Caspar received theGuggenheim Fellowships.[13]He was a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts & Sciences.[4]He was elected a member of the Biophysics and Computational Biology section of theNational Academy of Sciencesin 1994.[14]He received the first Fellow of theBiophysical SocietyAward in 2000.[15]
References
[edit]- ^abCohen, Carolyn (November 9, 2007)."Seeing and Knowing in Structural Biology".Journal of Biological Chemistry.282(45): 32529–32538.doi:10.1074/jbc.X700001200.ISSN0021-9258.PMID17848543.
- ^"Donald L.D Caspar".Dignity Memorial.RetrievedDecember 3,2021.
- ^ab"Don Caspar".Oral History Collection.Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.RetrievedJanuary 21,2015.
- ^ab"Donald Caspar".World Science Festival.Science Festival Foundation.RetrievedJanuary 21,2015.
- ^ab"Donald L. D. Caspar".Florida State University.
- ^"Donald L. D. Caspar".Brandeis University. Archived fromthe originalon January 21, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 21,2015.
- ^"Donald L. D. Caspar".Academic Tree.RetrievedJanuary 21,2015.
- ^Franklin, RE (1956). "Structure of Tobacco Mosaic Virus: Location of the Ribonucleic Acid in the Tobacco Mosaic Virus Particle".Nature.177(4516): 928–930.Bibcode:1956Natur.177..928F.doi:10.1038/177928b0.S2CID4167638.
- ^Casper, D. L. D. (1956)."Structure of Tobacco Mosaic Virus: Radial Density Distribution in the Tobacco Mosaic Virus Particle".Nature.177(4516): 928.Bibcode:1956Natur.177..928C.doi:10.1038/177928a0.S2CID30394190.
- ^Maddox, Brenda (2003).Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA.London: HarperCollins. p. 269.ISBN0-00-655211-0.
- ^"Aaron Klug – Biographical".Nobel Media.RetrievedJanuary 21,2015.
- ^Caspar DL, Klug A (1962). "Physical principles in the construction of regular viruses".Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology.27:1–24.doi:10.1101/sqb.1962.027.001.005.PMID14019094.
- ^"Donald L. D. Caspar".John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Archived fromthe originalon January 21, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 21,2015.
- ^"Donald L. D. Caspar".National Academy of Sciences.RetrievedJanuary 21,2015.
- ^"Fellow of the Biophysical Society Award".Biophysical Society.RetrievedJanuary 21,2015.
External links
[edit]- 1927 births
- 2021 deaths
- Florida State University faculty
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- American biophysicists
- American virologists
- Brandeis University faculty
- Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
- Cornell University alumni
- Presidents of the Biophysical Society