Hermann Stegemann (biochemist)

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Hermann Stegemann (born June 23, 1923 in Königsberg (Prussia) ; † April 23, 2018 ) was a professor of biochemistry and headed the Institute for Biochemistry of the former Federal Biological Institute for Agriculture and Forestry in Braunschweig from 1960 to 1988 , part of it since 2008 of the Julius Kühn Institute .

biography

Stegemann was born in 1923 as the first of five children of his father of the same name, Hermann Stegemann , and Käthe in Königsberg (East Prussia). In 1928 his family moved to Dortmund , where his father became chief physician at the St. Johannis Hospital . In Dortmund he attended the state humanistic grammar school, where he graduated from high school in 1941. After military service and a serious wound in the Caucasus , he studied chemistry with a focus on biochemistry at the University of Tübingen . Stegemann then worked at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry under the direction of Adolf Butenandt (Nobel Prize 1939) and received his doctorate in 1951 for his work on the biosynthesis of proteins . After completing his doctorate, Stegemann moved to the Medical Research Institute of the Max Planck Society in Göttingen, where he researched the causes of silicosis and material for bone transplants in the group of Karl Thomas . As a Fulbright scholar , Stegemann spent a research year at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia (USA) in 1954/55 .

In 1960 Stegemann was appointed director of the Institute for Biochemistry of the Federal Biological Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, since 2008 part of the Julius Kühn Institute . In 1968 he completed his habilitation. In 1972 the University of Göttingen awarded him an extraordinary professorship. There he introduced the first four-faculty biochemical internship.

Stegemann's research focused primarily on protein analysis and the genetic engineering-based plant taxonomy that this makes possible. He was the first to use polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to identify and differentiate between cultivars and primitive cultivars . He had discovered that the proteins of tubers and seeds after electrophoretic separation form characteristic variety patterns (so-called bar codes) that are independent of other influences such as soil and climate. With his method, a large part of the potato varieties could be identified as duplicates, thereby increasing the breeding efficiency. The identification procedure enabled the creation of the index of European potato varieties. Stegemann's work at the Federal Biological Institute was decisive for the prohibition or approval of numerous genetically modified plants.

Stegemann's protein-analytical techniques have found widespread use. In particular, the method for determining hydroxyproline has been cited over 1400 times and is considered a "Science Citation Classic". For the international dissemination of the methods he developed, Stegemann was invited to over 50 countries, where he gave lectures and laboratory courses. For his scientific achievements, Stegemann was awarded the “Scientific Merit Medal” of the World Cultural Council and he was able to enter himself into the Golden Book of Heidelberg University.

Others

Hermann Stegemann's siblings include the physicist Dieter Stegemann and the physiologist Jürgen Stegemann . Together with his wife, Stegemann founded the 'Gisela and Hermann Stegemann Foundation' to promote scientific projects.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Prof. Dr. Hermann Stegemann: Obituary notice. In: Braunschweiger Zeitung. April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018 .
  2. ↑ H. Stegemann: Micro-determination of hydroxyproline with chloramine-T and p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde. In: Hoppe-Seyler's journal for physiological chemistry. No. 311, 1958, pp. 41-45.
  3. ↑ H. Stegemann, Z. Huaman, C. Ochoa: Duplicate Elimination in Germ Plasm Collections; Potato Clones at CIP Reduced from 13,000 to 2,500. In: XIV International Botanical Congress, Berlin 1987
  4. ↑ H. Stegemann, D. Schnick: Index 1985 European potato varieties, approval lists, rating, genetic data, electropherograms. Berlin: Parey, 1985, ISBN 3-489-22700-X
  5. ^ Web of Science. In: apps.webofknowledge.com. Retrieved October 3, 2016 .
  6. ^ Meher Mistry: Citation Classic Commentaries - 1985. In: garfield.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved September 4, 2016 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Stegemann, Hermann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German biochemist and breeding researcher
DATE OF BIRTH June 23, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Königsberg (Prussia)
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 2018