Klaus Weber (biochemist)

Klaus Weber (born April 5, 1936 in Łódź ; † August 8, 2016 in Göttingen ) was a German biochemist and molecular biologist who was involved in the development of several widely used laboratory techniques in molecular biology and biochemistry.

Life

Weber studied chemistry at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg , where he received his doctorate in 1964. He worked at Harvard University for ten years from 1965 ; initially in the group of James D. Watson and from 1972 as full professor. In 1975 he became director of the biochemistry department at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen. From 1987 he was honorary professor at the University of Göttingen . In 2004 he retired from the Max Planck Institute.

He was particularly concerned with research on the cytoskeleton , such as microtubules and microfilaments. For this purpose he developed the technique of immunofluorescence microscopy together with Mary Osborn and Elias Lazarides. In collaboration with Thomas Tuschl's laboratory , Weber developed a technique for switching off genes using artificial RNA snippets ( RNA interference , iRNA).

In 1997 he received the Otto Warburg Medal and in 1984 the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine. From 1975 he was an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization and from 1981 to 1984 its general secretary. He has been a member of the Academia Europaea since 1991 and an honorary doctorate from the University of Ghent since 1997 .

Weber was married to the biochemist Mary Osborn (* 1940), with whom he published more than 200 papers. This includes a much-cited work on gel electrophoresis of proteins, which introduced the SDS-PAGE technique.

Fonts

Structural investigations on β-galactosidase from E. coli . A contribution to the quaternary structure of protein , Freiburg im Breisgau 1964, DNB 482348771 (Dissertation University of Freiburg im Breisgau, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, July 16, 1964)

Web links

Website at the MPI for biophysicals. chemistry
Dieter Gallwitz: Protein biochemistry and cell biology at its best: Symposium on the retirement of Professor Klaus Weber . Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry Göttingen, July 5, 2004

Individual evidence

^ Klaus Weber: Obituary notice . Göttinger Tageblatt , August 13, 2016.
↑ For example: Lazarides, Weber Actin antibody: the specific visualization of actin filaments in non-muscle cells . Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. , Volume 71, 1974, p. 2268.
↑ Elbashir, Harborth, Lendeckel, Tuschl, Weber: Duplexes of 21-nucleotide RNAs mediate RNA interference in cultured mammalian cells . Nature , Vol. 411, 2001, pp. 494-498.
^ Directory of members: Klaus Weber. Academia Europaea, accessed on July 26, 2017 (English, with biographical and other information).
↑ The reliability of molecular weight determinations by dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . Journal of Biological Chemistry , Vol. 244, 1969, pp. 4406-4412.

personal data
SURNAME	Weber, Klaus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German biochemist and molecular biologist
DATE OF BIRTH	April 5, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH	Łódź
DATE OF DEATH	August 8, 2016
Place of death	Goettingen

[1] Klaus Weber: Obituary notice . Göttinger Tageblatt , August 13, 2016.

[2] For example: Lazarides, Weber Actin antibody: the specific visualization of actin filaments in non-muscle cells . Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. , Volume 71, 1974, p. 2268.

[3] Elbashir, Harborth, Lendeckel, Tuschl, Weber: Duplexes of 21-nucleotide RNAs mediate RNA interference in cultured mammalian cells . Nature , Vol. 411, 2001, pp. 494-498.

[4] Directory of members: Klaus Weber. Academia Europaea, accessed on July 26, 2017 (English, with biographical and other information).

[5] The reliability of molecular weight determinations by dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . Journal of Biological Chemistry , Vol. 244, 1969, pp. 4406-4412.