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Tim Hunt

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For other people named Tim Hunt, seeTim Hunt (disambiguation).

Sir
Tim Hunt
FRSFRSEFMedSciMAE
Hunt atUCSFin 2009
Born
Richard Timothy Hunt

(1943-02-19)19 February 1943(age 81)[11]
Neston,Cheshire,England
Education
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge(BA, PhD)
Known forCell cycle regulation
Spouse
​
(m.1995)​
[11]
ChildrenTwo daughters[11]
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsCell cycle[4](Biochemistry)
Institutions
ThesisThe synthesis of haemoglobin(1969)
Doctoral advisorAsher Korner[5]
Doctoral students

Sir Richard Timothy Hunt,FRSFMedSciFRSEMAE(born 19 February 1943) is a Britishbiochemistand molecularphysiologist.He was awarded the 2001Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicinewithPaul NurseandLeland H. Hartwellfor their discoveries of protein molecules that control the division of cells. While studying fertilized sea urchin eggs in the early 1980s, Hunt discoveredcyclin,a protein that cyclically aggregates and is depleted during cell division cycles.

Early life and education[edit]

Hunt was born on 19 February 1943[11]inNeston,Cheshire,toRichard William Hunt,a lecturer inpalaeographyin Liverpool, and Kit Rowland, daughter of a timber merchant.[12]After the death of both his parents, Hunt found his father had worked atBush House,then the headquarters ofBBC World Serviceradio, most likely in intelligence, although it is not known what he actually did.[12]In 1945, Richard became Keeper of the Western Manuscripts at theBodleian Library,and the family relocated toOxford.At the age of eight, Hunt was accepted into theDragon School,[11]where he first developed an interest in biology thanks to his science teacher, the German educatorGerd Sommerhoff.[12]When he was fourteen, he moved toMagdalen College School, Oxford,becoming even more interested in science and studying subjects such as chemistry and zoology.[12]

In 1961, he was accepted intoClare College, Cambridgeto studyNatural Sciences,graduating in 1964 and immediately beginning work in the university Department of Biochemistry underAsher Korner.[12]There, he worked with scientists such asLouis ReichardtandTony Hunter.[12]A 1965 talk byVernon Ingraminterested him inhaemoglobin synthesis,and at a Greek conference in 1966 on the subject, he persuaded the haematologist and geneticistIrving Londonto allow him to work in his laboratory atAlbert Einstein College of Medicinein New York, staying from July to October 1966.[12]His PhD was supervised by Asher Korner[5]and focused on haemoglobin synthesis in intactrabbitreticulocytes(immaturered blood cells), and was awarded in 1968.[5][13][14]

Career and research[edit]

Early career[edit]

Following his PhD, Hunt returned to New York to work with London, in collaboration with Nechama Kosower, her husband Edward Kosower, and Ellie Ehrenfeld. While there, they discovered that tiny amounts ofglutathioneinhibitedprotein synthesisinreticulocytesand that tiny amounts ofRNAkilled the synthesis altogether. After returning to Cambridge, he again began work with Tony Hunter andRichard Jackson,who had discovered the RNA strand used to start haemoglobin synthesis. After 3–4 years, the team discovered at least two other chemicals acting as inhibitors.[12]

Hunt regularly spent summers working at theMarine Biological LaboratoryatWoods Hole, Massachusetts,which was popular with scientists for its advanced summer courses, and in particular, with those interested in the study ofmitosis.The location provided a ready supply of surf clams (Spisula solidissima) andsea urchins(Arbacia punctulata) amongst the reefs and fishing docks, and it was these invertebrates that were particularly useful for the study of the synthesis of proteins in embryogenesis, as the embryos were simply generated with the application of filtered sea water, and the transparency of the embryo cells was well suited to microscopic study.[15]

Discovery of cyclins[edit]

It was at Woods Hole around July 1982, usingArbaciasea urchin eggs as his model organism, that he discoveredcyclinproteins.[12]Cyclins play a key role in regulating thecell-division cycle.[16]Hunt was observing the eggs undergo cell division after fertilization.[17]The study also included a control group where the eggs had been activated without fertilization by acalcium ionophore.The eggs were incubated with the amino acidmethioninein which some of the atoms were radioactive isotopes (radiolabelled), with samples being taken from the eggs at 10 minute intervals. During the egg development, the radioactive methionine was uptaken into the cells and used to make proteins. From the samples, proteins were precipitated and then separated by mass into distinct bands on a resolving gel mat, which were then observed by photographic film that could detect the radioactivity emitted by the proteins. Observing the changes in the bands across the samples, Hunt noticed that one of the proteins rose in abundance before disappearing during themitosisphase of cell division.[15]Hunt named the protein "cyclin" based on his observation of the cyclical changes in its levels.[18]It was later discovered that cyclins are continuously synthesised, but are specifically targeted forproteolysisduring mitosis.[15]The discovery of cyclins was reported in a study published inCellin 1983.[19]Hunt later demonstrated that cyclins were also present in another sea urchin,Lytechinus pictus,as well as inSpisulaclams.[15]

Hunt was aware that the discovery of cyclins was significant, but was initially unsure of how cyclins functioned in regard to cell division.[17]This was clarified in later papers in the 1980s and 1990s, some of which Hunt co-authored. These again utilized sea urchin eggs as well as eggs of the frogXenopus,and demonstrated that cyclins were present in the cells of most organisms, and combine withkinaseenzymes (specificallycyclin-dependent kinases) to formmaturation-promoting factor(MPF). MPF has previously been identified in 1971 byYoshio MasuiandClement MarkertfromXenopuseggs. MPF induces mitosis, with the cyclic activation and inactivation of MPF being a key element in regulating and progressing the cell cycle.[17][15]

Later career[edit]

withCherry A. Murray,Jerome Isaac Friedman,Torsten Wiesel,Kōji Omi,Akito Arima,Jonathan M. Dorfanand Robert Baughman

In 1990, he began work atImperial Cancer Research Fund,later known as theCancer Research UKLondon Research Institute,in the United Kingdom, where his work focused on understanding on what makes cell go cancerous, that is: proliferate uncontrollably, with the ordinary inhibitory signals switched off.[20]That same year, Hunt defined the concept ofshort linear motifs,parts of protein sequences that mediate interactions with other proteins.[21]In 1993, the bookThe Cell Cycle: An Introduction,which Hunt co-authored along with Andrew Murray, was published byOxford University Press.[22]Hunt had his own laboratory at the Clare Hall Laboratories until the end of 2010, and remains anEmeritusGroup Leader at theFrancis Crick Institute.[23][24]He is a member of the Advisory Council for theCampaign for Science and Engineering.[25]He has served on the Selection Committee for theShaw Prizein Life Science and Medicine.[26]In 2010, Hunt joined the Academic Advisory Board of the Austrian think tank Academia Superior, Institute for Future Studies.[27]

Hunt is a highly regarded colleague and mentor in the research community.[28][29]During his career he has supervised numerous PhD students includingHugh Pelham[6]andJonathon Pines.[8]

Science advocacy[edit]

In addition to his scientific contributions, Hunt is a lifelong advocate for scientific research. After winning the Nobel Prize in 2001, he spent much of his time traveling the world, talking to both popular and specialist audiences. In these talks he offered his characteristic perspective on inquiry, which emphasizes the importance of having fun and being lucky.[30]He also believes that science benefits when power is given to young people, himself having been given full autonomy and authority at age 27.[31]

2015 controversy[edit]

Further information:Online shaming § Tim Hunt controversy

At the World Conference of Science Journalists inSeoulin June 2015, Hunt gave a impromptu toast at a lunch for female journalists and scientists. As recounted by an EU official, Hunt said:[32]

It's strange that such a chauvinist monster like me has been asked to speak to women scientists. Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them they cry. Perhaps we should make separate labs for boys and girls? Now, seriously, I'm impressed by the economic development of Korea. And women scientists played, without a doubt, an important role in it. Science needs women, and you should do science, despite all the obstacles, and despite monsters like me.

Parts of the remarks were widely publicised on social media due to their perceived sexist nature, resulting in an intense online backlash, which some described as an act ofpublic shaming.[33]Hunt resigned from his honorary professorship atUniversity College Londonafter the university told him to; he also resigned from several other research positions.[34]Hunt apologised and stated that the remarks were in jest. He said that they had been taken out of context, as the remarks had originally been reported without the words "now seriously".[35]Hunt also stated he "did mean the part about having trouble with girls".[36]Some public figures and scientists, including some who had worked with Hunt, suggested that the backlash against him was disproportionate.[37][38][39][40]

Awards and honours[edit]

Hunt was elected a member of theEuropean Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)in 1978, serving as a member of the organisation's Fellowship Committee 1990–1993, its Meeting Committee 2008–2009, and its governing body, the Council, 2004–2009.[1]He was elected aFellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1991,[2]his certificate of election reads:[41]

Distinguished for his studies of the control of protein synthesis in animal cells and for the discovery of cyclin, a protein which regulates theeukaryoticcell cycle. Together with Jackson and their students, he defined steps in formation of the initiation complex in protein synthesis, showing that the40S ribosomal subunitbinds initiatortRNAbefore it bindsmRNA,and that this step was the target of inhibitors such as double-stranded RNA orhaemdeficiency. They showed that inhibition of protein synthesis is mediated by reversiblephosphorylationof initiation factor eIF-2 by two distinct protein kinases and they elucidated the unexpected roles ofthioredoxinandthioredoxin reductaseinprotein synthesis.With Ruderman and Rosenthal, he demonstrated selective translational control of mRNA in early clam embryos. This led to Hunt's discovery of cyclin as a protein which is selectively destroyed in mitosis. He subsequently cloned and sequenced cyclincDNAfrom sea urchins and frogs and showed by elegant mRNA ablation experiments that cyclin translation is necessary for mitosis in frog embryos. He has also shown that cyclin is a subunit of the mitosis-promoting factor which regulates entry into mitosis. His discovery and characterization of cyclin are major contributions to our knowledge of cell cycle regulation in eukaryotic cells.

Hunt was elected a fellow of the UK'sAcademy of Medical Sciences(FMedSci) in 1998,[42]and a foreign associate of the USNational Academy of Sciencesin 1999.[43]

In 2001, he was awarded theNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicinewithLeland HartwellandPaul Nursefor their discoveries regardingcell cycleregulation bycyclinandcyclin-dependent kinases.The three laureates are cited "for their discoveries of key regulators of the cell cycle," while Hunt in particular

is awarded for his discovery of cyclins, proteins that regulate the CDK function. He showed that cyclins are degraded periodically at each cell division, a mechanism proved to be of general importance for cell cycle control.[44]

In 2003, Hunt was made an honoraryFellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh(HonFRSE).[3]In 2006, he was awarded theRoyal Society'sRoyal Medal,two of which are presented annually for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge", in his case for "discovering a key aspect of cell cycle control, the protein cyclin which is a component of cyclin dependent kinases, demonstrating his ability to grasp the significance of the result outside his immediate sphere of interest".[45]

Hunt was knighted in the2006 Birthday Honoursfor his service to science.[46]

Personal life[edit]

Hunt is married to the immunologistMary Collins,who was provost of theOkinawa Institute of Science and Technologyin Japan, and is now Director of the Blizard Institute Queen Mary University of London. The couple have two daughters.[11]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Murray, Andrew; Hunt, Tim (1993).The Cell Cycle: An Introduction.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-509529-6.
  • Wilson, John; Hunt, Tim (2014).Molecular Biology of the Cell: The Problems Book(6th ed.). Taylor & Francis Ltd.ISBN978-0-8153-4453-7.

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"Tim Hunt".Heidelberg:European Molecular Biology Organization.
  2. ^abAnon (1991)."Sir Tim Hunt FMedSci FRS".London:Royal Society.Archivedfrom the original on 17 November 2015.One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where:

    "All text published under the heading 'Biography' on Fellow profile pages is available underCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License."--"Royal Society Terms, conditions and policies".Archivedfrom the original on 25 September 2015.Retrieved9 March2016.
  3. ^ab"PDF List of Fellows on the webpages of the RSE"(PDF).24 November 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 30 March 2016.Retrieved28 December2015.
  4. ^Tim Huntpublications indexed byGoogle Scholar
  5. ^abcHunt, Richard Timothy (1969).The synthesis of haemoglobin(PhD thesis). University of Cambridge.OCLC885437139.EThOSuk.bl.ethos.604802.Open access icon
  6. ^abPelham, Hugh R. B. (1978).Transcription and Translation in Reticulocyte Lysates.lib.cam.ac.uk(PhD thesis). University of Cambridge.OCLC500538683.EThOSuk.bl.ethos.468626.
  7. ^"Sir Hugh Pelham FMedSci FRS".London:Royal Society.Archivedfrom the original on 17 November 2015.
  8. ^abPines, Jonathon Noe Joseph (1987).Cyclin: a major maternal message in sea urchin eggs.lib.cam.ac.uk(PhD thesis). University of Cambridge.OCLC499166627.EThOSuk.bl.ethos.233321.
  9. ^Pines, Jonathon; Hunt, Tim (1987)."Molecular cloning and characterization of the mRNA for cyclin from sea urchin eggs".The EMBO Journal.6(10): 2987–2995.doi:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02604.x.PMC553735.PMID2826125.
  10. ^"Dr Jonathon Pines: Department of Zoology".Cambridge: cam.ac.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2015.
  11. ^abcdef"HUNT, Sir Tim".Who's Who.Vol. 2015 (onlineOxford University Pressed.). A & C Black.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)[better source needed]
  12. ^abcdefghi"Tim Hunt – Biographical".Nobelprize.org.Nobel Media AB. 2001.Retrieved14 March2024.
  13. ^Hunt, Tim; Hunter, Tony; Munro, Alan (1968). "Control of haemoglobin synthesis: Distribution of ribosomes on the messenger RNA for α and β chains".Journal of Molecular Biology.36(1): 31–45.doi:10.1016/0022-2836(68)90217-9.PMID5760537.
  14. ^Hunt, Tim; Hunter, Tony; Munro, Alan (1968). "Control of haemoglobin synthesis: a difference in the size of the polysomes making Alpha and beta chains".Nature.220(5166): 481–483.Bibcode:1968Natur.220..481H.doi:10.1038/220481a0.PMID5686164.S2CID4293819.
  15. ^abcdeJackson, Peter K. (July 2008)."The Hunt for Cyclin".Cell.134(2): 199–202.doi:10.1016/j.cell.2008.07.011.PMID18662532.S2CID1974575.
  16. ^"The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2001".Nobel Prize Outreach.Retrieved8 August2022.
  17. ^abcUzbekov, Rustem; Prigent, Claude (January 2022)."A Journey through Time on the Discovery of Cell Cycle Regulation".Cells.11(4): 704.doi:10.3390/cells11040704.ISSN2073-4409.PMC8870340.PMID35203358.
  18. ^"Understanding how cells divide – the story of a Nobel prize".Cancer Research UK – Science blog.6 October 2014.Retrieved24 October2015.
  19. ^Evans, Tom; Rosenthal, Eric T.; Youngblom, Jim; Distel, Dan; Hunt, Tim (June 1983)."Cyclin: A protein specified by maternal mRNA in sea urchin eggs that is destroyed at each cleavage division".Cell.33(2): 389–396.doi:10.1016/0092-8674(83)90420-8.
  20. ^ Liz Hunt (21 December 2010)."Sir Tim Hunt: I am interested in how cells know what they are and how they should behave (Interview)".The Telegraph.Retrieved26 December2015.
  21. ^Kumar, Manjeet; Michael, Sushama; Alvarado-Valverde, Jesús; Zeke, András; Lazar, Tamas; Glavina, Juliana; Nagy-Kanta, Eszter; Donagh, Juan Mac; Kalman, Zsofia E; Pascarelli, Stefano; Palopoli, Nicolas; Dobson, László; Suarez, Carmen Florencia; Van Roey, Kim; Krystkowiak, Izabella (5 January 2024)."ELM—the Eukaryotic Linear Motif resource—2024 update".Nucleic Acids Research.52(D1): D442–D455.doi:10.1093/nar/gkad1058.ISSN0305-1048.PMC10767929.PMID37962385.
  22. ^Cross, Frederick R.; Levine, Kristi (25 February 1994)."Growth and Division: The Cell Cycle. An Introduction. Andrew Murray and Tim Hunt. Oxford University Press, New York, 1993. xii, 251 pp., illus. $45 or £32.50; paper, $22.95 or £15.95".Science.263(5150): 1164–1165.doi:10.1126/science.263.5150.1164.b.ISSN0036-8075.
  23. ^"Cancer Research UK: Tim Hunt".Archived fromthe originalon 13 October 2008.Retrieved13 November2008.
  24. ^"Tim Hunt biography on the web pages of the Francis Crick Institute".Archived fromthe originalon 15 April 2019.Retrieved15 April2019.
  25. ^"Advisory Council of the Campaign for Science and Engineering".Archived fromthe originalon 28 August 2010.Retrieved11 February2011.
  26. ^"Shaw Prize Website: Selection Committee".Archived fromthe originalon 26 December 2015.Retrieved25 December2015.
  27. ^Academia Superior – Academic Advisory Board.Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  28. ^"Tim Hunt plaudits (Letter to the editor)".The Times.23 June 2015.Retrieved28 December2015.
  29. ^Whipple, T. (23 June 2015)."Women scientists defend 'sexist' Nobel winner".The Times.Retrieved28 December2015.
  30. ^"I admire people who do fun things"onYouTube
  31. ^Torres, Isabel (April 2014)."I Believe in Giving Power to the Young".Labtimes.Freiburg: LJ-Verlag. Archived fromthe originalon 16 March 2019.Retrieved13 April2019.
  32. ^Whipple, Tom; Waterfield, Bruno (24 June 2015)."Leaked transcript shows 'sexist' scientist was joking".The Times.Archivedfrom the original on 26 February 2020.
  33. ^McKie, Robin (13 June 2015)."Tim Hunt: 'I've been hung out to dry. They haven't even bothered to ask for my side of affairs'".The Observer.Retrieved14 June2015.
  34. ^McKie, Robin (13 June 2015)."Shamed Nobel laureate Tim Hunt 'ruined by rush to judgment after stupid remarks'".The Observer.Retrieved21 March2024.
  35. ^McKie R.Sir Tim Hunt: my gratitude to female scientists for their support.The Observer, 20 June 2015.
  36. ^"Sir Tim Hunt 'sorry' over 'trouble with girls' comments".BBC News.10 June 2015.Retrieved25 December2015.
  37. ^Whipple, T. (23 June 2015)."Women scientists defend 'sexist' Nobel winner".The Times.Retrieved28 December2015.
  38. ^Meikle, James (30 June 2015)."Dimbleby resigns from UCL in protest at 'disgraceful' treatment of Sir Tim Hunt".The Guardian.Retrieved30 June2015.
  39. ^"Boris Johnson defends Sir Tim Hunt's 'sexist' remarks".BBC News.15 June 2015.Retrieved6 July2015.
  40. ^Whipple, Tom (13 July 2015)."Leave Sir Tim alone, says fellow laureate".The Times.Retrieved13 July2015.
  41. ^"Certificate of election EC/1991/14: Hunt, Richard Timothy".London:Royal Society.Archived fromthe originalon 5 December 2018.
  42. ^"Fellow list entry for Tim Hunt on the Academy web pages".Archived fromthe originalon 4 December 2018.Retrieved28 December2015.
  43. ^"Tim Hunt entry in the online member directory of the US National Academy of Sciences".Retrieved26 December2015.
  44. ^"The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2001".nobelprize.org.
  45. ^"Royal Medal recent winners".Retrieved13 November2008.
  46. ^Recorded in The Gazette (London Gazette), issue 58014, 16 June 2006, supplement 1.[1]

External links[edit]

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