Gilbert Ashwell
George Gilbert Ashwell (born July 16, 1916 in Jersey City , New Jersey , † June 27, 2014 in Bethesda , Maryland ) was an American biochemist .
Life
Ashwell earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois in 1938 and a master's degree in 1941 . In 1948 he earned an MD from Columbia University with a medical degree. He stayed here as a research assistant before going to the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases in 1950 , a facility of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). When the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases was divided into the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases , Ashwell stayed at the latter until his retirement .
Act
Ashwell is regarded as a pioneer in researching the function of certain cell receptors that control the endocytosis of these glycoproteins based on their specific binding to certain glycoproteins .
Together with Anatol G. Morell , Ashwell discovered one of the first carbohydrate receptors that, as membrane lectins, are able to eliminate overaged glycoproteins from the bloodstream. To do this, they used radioactively labeled and chemically modified ceruloplasmin . Further studies showed that in each case the removal of the terminal sialic acid residue and expose a galactose residue of the glycoproteins to their elimination in the liver leads.
With Toshisuke Kawasaki , Ashwell isolated a liver protein found in birds that specifically binds N- acetylglucosamine . They described the similarities and differences compared to the homologue found in mammals .
Awards (selection)
- 1979 member of the National Academy of Sciences
- 1982 Gairdner Foundation International Award
- 1984 Merck Prize of the American Society for Biological Chemists (now American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology )
- 1989 Senior Scientist Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
literature
- Nicole Kresge, Robert D. Simoni, Robert L. Hill: Hepatic Carbohydrate Binding Proteins and Glycoprotein Catabolism: the Work of Gilbert G. Ashwell. In: JBC Centennial 1905-2005. 100 Years of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Journal of Biological Chemistry Volume 281, No. 43, October 27, 2006, p. E34.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bart Barnes: Gilbert Ashwell, NIH researcher, dies at 97 , The Washington Post , July 23, 2014, accessed July 29, 2014.
- ^ G. Gilbert Ashwell. In: nasonline.org. Retrieved February 20, 2016 .
- ↑ Gilbert Ashwell MD at the Gairdner Foundation (gairdner.org); accessed on March 1, 2013.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ashwell, Gilbert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ashwell, George Gilbert (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American biochemist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 16, 1916 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Jersey City , New Jersey |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 27, 2014 |
| Place of death | Bethesda , Maryland |