Yasutomi Nishizuka
| Yasutomi Nishizuka | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 12, 1932 Ashiya, Hyōgo |
| Died | November 4, 2004 (aged 72) |
| Nationality |
 Japan |
| Fields | biochemistry |
| Institutions | Kobe University,Kyoto University, Rockefeller University |
| Alma mater | Kyoto University |
| Doctoral advisor | Osamu Hayaishi |
| Other academic advisors | Fritz Lipmann |
| Known for | protein kinase C |
| Notable awards | Albert Lasker Award (1989), Kyoto Prize (1992), Wolf Prize in Medicine (2004), Gairdner Foundation International Award (1988) |
Yasutomi Nishizuka (西塚 泰美 Nishizuka Yasutomi, July 12, 1932 – November 4, 2004)[1] was a Japanese biochemist who discovered protein kinase C and made important contribution to the understanding of molecular mechanism of signal transduction across the cell membrane.[2]
Birth and education
Nishizuka was born in 1932 at Ashiya-city in Japan. He obtained his M.D. from the Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University,in 1957. Then, he completed his PhD degree from Kyoto University under the supervision of Osamu Hayaishi in 1962. After completing his studies in Japan, he spent one year as a postdoctoral fellow in Fritz Lipmann's laboratory at the Rockefeller University.
Academic career
From 1962 to 1964, Nishizuka was the Research Associate at Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University. From 1964 to 1968, he was an Associate Professor at the Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University.
From 1969 to 2004, he was the professor and chairman of the Department of Biochemistry, Kobe University School of Medicine. He also served as the president of Kobe University.
Research
Nishizuka is known for the construction of the fundamental concepts of the intracellular signal transduction cascade through his discovery of protein kinase C, also known as C kinase, and his analysis of its function, which revealed a new intracellular signal transduction system and elucidated the regulatory mechanisms involved in many biological phenomena, including cancer cell growth.
Awards and honors
Nishizuka received several awards and honors in his life. The major awards received by him are the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award and the Wolf Prize in Medicine.
He won the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award in 1989 for "his profound contributions to the understanding of signal transduction in cells, and for his discovery that carcinogens trigger cell growth by activating protein kinas C".[3]
He won the Wolf Prize in Medicine along with Michael J. Berridge of the University of Cambridge for "their discoveries concerning cellular transmembrane signalling involving phospholipids and calcium".[4]
The other major awards and honors received by Nishizuka are:
- The Asahi Prize (1985)
- The Gairdner Foundation International Award (1988)
- The Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Prize (1988)
- The Kyoto Prize (1992)
- The Schering Prize (1995)
References
- ↑ Yamamura, H.; Nakamura, S. -I. (2006). "Yasutomi Nishizuka. 12 July 1932 -- 4 November 2004: Elected ForMemRS 1990". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 52: 219–230. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2006.0016. PMID 18543473.
- ↑ Nakamura, S. -I.; Yamamura, H. (2010). "Yasutomi Nishizuka: Father of protein kinase C". Journal of Biochemistry 148 (2): 125–130. doi:10.1093/jb/mvq066. PMID 20668066.
- ↑ 1989 Winners of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
- ↑ "The Wolf Prize in Medicine". Wolffund.org.il. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
External links
- The biography of Yasutomi Nishizuka
- The biography of Yasutomi Nishizuka (pdf)
- The Wolf Prize in Medicine in 1994/95
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