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John Kendrew and myoglobin: Protein structure determination in the 1950s
Author(s) -
de Chadarevian Soraya
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
protein science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.353
H-Index - 175
eISSN - 1469-896X
pISSN - 0961-8368
DOI - 10.1002/pro.3417
Subject(s) - myoglobin , field (mathematics) , resolution (logic) , chemistry , computer science , nanotechnology , engineering ethics , engineering , materials science , biochemistry , artificial intelligence , mathematics , pure mathematics
The essay reviews John Kendrew's pioneering work on the structure of myoglobin for which he shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1962. It reconstructs the status of protein X‐ray crystallography at the time Kendrew entered the field in 1945, after distinctive service in operational research during the war. It reflects on the choice of sperm whale myoglobin as research material. In particular, it highlights Kendrew's early use of digital electronic computers for crystallographic computations and the marshaling of other tools and approaches that made it possible to solve the structure at increasing resolution. The essay further discusses the role of models in structure resolution and their broader reception. It ends by briefly reviewing Kendrew's other contributions in the formation and institutionalization of molecular biology.