Jean Weissenbach

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Jean Weissenbach (born February 13, 1946 in Strasbourg , France ) is a French geneticist .

Weissenbach's achievements include the genetic analysis of sex chromosomes , linkage analysis , the creation of general gene maps and the mapping and cloning of various disease genes . The Genoscope , headed by Weissenbach, contributed significantly to the human genome project ( chromosome 14 ).

Life

Weissenbach completed his pharmacy studies at the University of Strasbourg in 1969 , where he obtained a doctorate in (natural) sciences (Docteur ès sciences) in 1977 . As a postdoctoral fellow he worked at the Weizmann Institute for Science in Rechovot , Israel . Until 1989, he headed a working group in Pierre Tiollais' laboratory at the Pasteur Institute on behalf of the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm). Since 1987 he has worked in a leading position for the Center national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). Weissenbach had been a member of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) since 1990 . In 1990 Weissenbach was at the Center d'étude du polymorphisme humain before he took over the management of various projects and research units , including the cartographie génétique de l'homme (for example, “ genetic mapping of humans”) at the Généthon , the Génétique moléculaire humaine (“ molecular genetics of humans ") And Génome des mammifères (" Genome of Mammals ") at the Pasteur Institute . Weissenbach has headed the Genoscope (in the French biotechnology park Génopole in Évry ), which is assigned to the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), since 1997 .

Act

In his doctoral thesis, Weissenbach was able to show that, at least for the tRNA of certain yeasts, the wobble hypothesis does not fully apply. As a postdoctoral fellow, he identified interferon beta2, which is now known as interleukin-6 . During his time in the laboratory of Pierre Tiollais , Weissenbach was able to show that the clinical picture of the XX man is based on a remaining fragment of the Y chromosome in the genome of the person concerned. In addition, he was able to create the first gene maps of the Y chromosome, determine the position of the testis-determining factor (TDF) and prove that an exchange between the X and Y chromosomes takes place in the areas of the sex chromosomes, later known as pseudoautosomal regions .

During his time at the Pasteur Institute , Weissenbach created second generation gene maps by analyzing sections with high-frequency polymorphisms . Since the defective genes of numerous monogenic diseases could be localized with these maps for the first time , Weissenbach's publications were among the most cited scientific papers.

As part of the human genome project , Weissenbach led France's contribution, the DNA sequencing of chromosome 14. For the first time, Weissenbach gave an approximately correct estimate of the number of human genes : 30,000 (actually around 25,000), while previously estimates of up to 200,000 genes were valid. After completion of the human genome project, Weissenbach and his colleagues deal with the genetic differences between the prokaryotes , with the completion of the known enzymes , the reconstruction of the metabolic pathways catalyzed by these enzymes and the attempt to obtain a complete overview of the metabolism of at least bacterial organisms.

Awards (selection)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Jean Weissenbach and curriculum vitae (2010, PDF, 38 kB) at the Académie des sciences (academie-sciences.fr); accessed on February 7, 2016.
  2. ^ Prince of Asturias Awards, Technical and Scientific Research 2001 at fpa.es; Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  3. ^ Jean Weissenbach PhD at the Gairdner Foundation (gairdner.org); Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ Jean Weissenbach, Médaille d'or 2008 du CNRS ( Memento of August 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) and La médaille d'or du CNRS 2008 ( Memento of August 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF, 3.5 MB, including curriculum vitae) at cnrs.fr; Retrieved June 25, 2011.
personal data
SURNAME Weissenbach, Jean
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French geneticist
DATE OF BIRTH February 13, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH Strasbourg