Hugh Huxley

Hugh Huxley
Born	Hugh Esmor Huxley (1924-02-25)25 February 1924 Birkenhead,Cheshire,England
Died	25 July 2013(2013-07-25)(aged 89) Woods Hole, Massachusetts,US
Alma mater	Christ's College, Cambridge Cambridge University(PhD)
Known for	Muscle contraction Muscle proteins
Spouse	Frances Huxley
Awards	William Bate Hardy Prize(1966) Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize(1971) Royal Medal(1977) E.B. Wilson Medal(1983) Albert Einstein World Award of Science(1987) Franklin Medal(1990) Copley Medal(1997)
Scientific career
Fields	Molecular Biologist
Institutions	Massachusetts Institute of Technology University College London MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Brandeis University
Doctoral advisor	John Kendrew
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force (RAFVR)
Years of service	1943–1947
Rank	Flight Lieutenant
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Member of theOrder of the British Empire(MBE, Military Division)

Hugh Esmor HuxleyMBEFRS(25 February 1924 – 25 July 2013) was a Britishmolecular biologistwho made important discoveries in thephysiology of muscle.He was a graduate in physics fromChrist's College, Cambridge.However, his education was interrupted for five years by theSecond World War,during which he served in theRoyal Air Force.His contribution to development of radar earned him an MBE.

Huxley was the first PhD student ofLaboratory of Molecular Biologyof theMedical Research Councilat Cambridge, where he worked onX-ray diffractionstudies on muscle fibres. In the 1950s he was one of the first to useelectron microscopyto study biological specimens. During his postdoctoral atMassachusetts Institute of Technology,he, with fellow researcherJean Hanson,discovered the underlying principle of muscle movement, popularised as thesliding filament theoryin 1954. After 15 years of research, he proposed the "swinging cross-bridge hypothesis" in 1969, which became modern understanding of the molecular basis of muscle contraction, and much of othercellular motility.

Huxley worked atUniversity College Londonfor seven years, and at Laboratory of Molecular Biology for fifteen years, where he was its Deputy Director from 1979. Between 1987 and 1997, he was professor atBrandeis Universityin Massachusetts, where he spent the rest of his life as emeritus professor.

Education

Huxley studied physics atChrist's College, Cambridgein 1941. During his second year, his education was interrupted by the Second World War, and he joined the Royal Air Force as a radar officer. He worked on the development of radar equipment during 1943 to 1947, for which he was later honoured aMember of the Order of the British Empire(MBE). His expertise in mechanical and electrical devices became useful throughout his scientific career. After completing his service, he returned to Cambridge for his final year, and he received his BA in physics in 1948. The war had completely diminished his interest in physics, particularly on the horrors ofatomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.He therefore joined Cambridge University to become the first PhD student in a newly formedLaboratory of Molecular Biology,then a small Medical Research Council (MRC) unit founded byMax PerutzandJohn Kendrew,who supervised him. (The LMB was then a small "hut" near the famousCavendish Laboratory.) He was initially given X-ray analysis of proteins, but he turned to muscle. (The protein study was given to the other studentFrancis Crick,of the eventual DNA fame.) From there he earned his PhD in 1952 in molecular biology. For his thesis titledInvestigations in Biological Structures by X-Ray Methods. The Structure of Muscle,he used low-angle, X-ray scattering of live muscle fibers.

Career

Following his PhD, Huxley continued research on the structure and function of muscle. Since Cambridge did not have electron microscopy, which began to be used for biological studies at the time, he went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral fellow on aCommonwealth Fellowshipin late summer of 1952. He work in F. O. Schmitt's laboratory where he was joined byJean Hansonin 1953. Their collaboration proved to be fruitful as they discovered the so-called "sliding filament theory" of muscle contraction. Their publication in the 22 May 1954 issue ofNaturebecame a landmark in muscle physiology.He returned to MRC unit of Cambridge in the late spring of 1954. Using X-ray diffraction he found the molecular interaction in the muscle fibres. The LMB was then equipped with electron microscope, but still had technical issues. Knowing his potential the University College London appointed him to the faculty, and moved there to joinBernard Katz's biophysics department in 1955. For his purpose he was bought a new electron microscope with fund from theWellcome Trust.His innovative contribution was making a modified version of thin-sectioningmicrotome,by which he could make histological sections of only 100–150Åin thickness. Based on his LMB X-ray diffraction images, the new technique immediately helped him to establish the cross-bridge concept (interaction site of the muscle proteins,myosinandactin).As the MRC unit was enlarged he was invited back in 1962, with a research fellowship atKing's Collegefor five years and then a more permanent one atChurchill College.He became the joint Head of the Structural Studies Division of the LMB in 1975, and its Deputy Director in 1979. In 1969, on the basis of his work over more than 15 years, he finally formulated the "swinging cross-bridge hypothesis" of muscle contraction,which is the molecular basis of muscle contraction.The concept itself became directly fundamental to other types of cell motility.In 1987 he joined the biology faculty atBrandeis UniversityinWaltham, Massachusetts,where he also served as Director of the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, and becoming emeritus from 1997 until his death.

Awards and honours

He was made an MBE in 1948. He was elected member ofFellow of the Royal Societyin 1960 (the youngest member at that time) and also won one of itsRoyal Medalsin 1977 and itsCopley Medalin 1997.He was awarded theLouisa Gross Horwitz PrizefromColumbia Universityin 1971. TheU.S. National Academy of Sciencesappointed him as a Foreign Associate in 1978. He also received theWilliam Bate Hardy Prizein 1966,Antonio Feltrinelli Prize,E. B. Wilson Medalof theAmerican Society for Cell Biologyin 1983, and theFranklin Medalin 1990. He was conferred theAlbert Einstein World Award of Sciencein 1987 for his contributions to molecular biology, notably his classic work in the field of muscle biology.

Huxley was a Distinguished Supporter of theBritish Humanist Association.He was among the 43 scientists and philosophers who signed the BHA letter in March 2002 to Prime MinisterTony Blairdeploring the teaching ofcreationismin schools. He also advocatedCharles Darwin’s birthday as public holiday, and curricular reforms in elementary science education.

Death

Huxley died ofheart attackon 25 July 2013 in his home inWoods Hole, Massachusetts.He is survived by his wife, Frances, his daughter, Olwen, and stepchildren, Bill, Glenway, and Amy Fripp.

External links

• Hugh Huxley's Short Talk: "How Muscle Contracts"