Thomas C. Bruice
Thomas Charles Bruice (born August 25, 1925 in Los Angeles - † February 15, 2019 ) was an American chemist who studied biochemistry and organic chemistry and was a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Life
Bruice studied at the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in 1950 and a doctorate in biochemistry in 1954. As a post-doctoral student he was a Lilly Fellow at UCLA and from 1955 he was an instructor and later an assistant professor at Yale University . In 1958 he became an assistant professor at the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University and in 1960 professor of chemistry at Cornell University . In 1964 he became professor of chemistry at UCSB. From 1995 he held a research professorship for biochemistry there.
Bruice published over 540 papers (2003). He introduced the term bio-organic chemistry for his research field. He dealt with catalytic processes in acyl and phosphate transfer reactions, the mechanism of cofactor reactions (such as pyridoxal phosphate , flavins , lipoic acid ) and the chemistry of metal- porphyrin complexes.
He developed cation analogues of DNA and RNA, which can be used to block DNA and RNA transcription, with the phosphate bridges replaced by guanidine (DNG, RNG), and microgonotropes (MGT), which bind to DNA.
His laboratory also used computers to theoretically examine the mechanisms of action of biologically important enzymes. Here he introduced the term NAC (Near Attack Conformers).
He also researched the binding mechanism of immunosuppressive drugs such as FK 506 (binding to calcineurin ) and rapamycin . The aim is to separate the immunosuppressive effect from the observed effect of enhancing neurite growth.
Honors and memberships
- 1978 Tolman Award
- 1987 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award
- 1987 Repligen Medal
- 1988 Alfred Bader Medal
- 1996 James Flack Norris Award
- 2005 NAS Award in Chemical Sciences
- 2008 Linus Pauling Award for his leadership role in the development of bioorganic chemistry and specifically for his deep and lasting contributions to the understanding of the mechanism of the enzyme reaction
In 1992 he was listed among the 50 most cited chemists (for the period 1984–1991).
He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences (1974), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1976), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1989). He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (1993).
In 1979/80 he was a Guggenheim Fellow .
Fonts
- with FC Lightstone Ground State and Transition State Contributions to Intramolecular and Enzymatic Reactions , Acc. Chem Res., 32, 1999, 32, 127
- with SJ Benkovic Chemical basis for enzyme catalysis , Biochemistry 39, 2000, 6267-74
- A view at the millennium: the efficiency of enzymatic catalysis , Acc. Chem. Res., 35, 2002, 139-146
- with Stephen J. Benkovic Bioorganic Mechanisms , Benjamin 1966
literature
- Stephen J. Benkovic : Thomas Bruice (1925-2019). In: PNAS . Online pre-publication of October 21, 2019, doi: 10.1073 / pnas.1913522116 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Life data according to American Men and Women of Science , Thomson Gale 2004
- ↑ Thomas C. Bruice Obituary. In: The Santa Barbara News-Press. Legacy.com, February 23, 2019, accessed February 23, 2019 .
- ↑ Bruice Some pertinent aspects of mechanism as determined with small molecules , Annual Review Biochem., 45, 1976; 331-373
- ↑ Laudatory speech
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bruice, Thomas C. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bruice, Thomas Charles |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American chemist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 25, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | los Angeles |
| DATE OF DEATH | 15th February 2019 |