Julius Marmur
Encyclopedia
Julius Marmur was an American molecular biologist who made significant contributions to DNA
research. His discovery, while working in the laboratory of Paul Doty at Harvard University
, that the denaturation of DNA was reversible and depended on salt- and GC-content
, had a major impact on how scientists thought about DNA, and how DNA could be handled in vitro
; this discovery was a cornerstone of the recombinant DNA
revolution. Marmur spent most of his professional career at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
(AECOM), medical school in the Bronx, NY affiliated with Yeshiva University
.
In a historical context, Marmur's research can be seen as bridging the work of the 1940s and 1950s, as exemplified by Rollin Hotchkiss
, with the work of the 1970s and beyond.
AECOM, while supporting an annual symposium in Marmur's honor, does not list his biography on their web site. A standard work on the history of molecular biology, such as Horace Freeland Judson's The eighth day of creation, may be consulted.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
research. His discovery, while working in the laboratory of Paul Doty at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, that the denaturation of DNA was reversible and depended on salt- and GC-content
GC-content
In molecular biology and genetics, GC-content is the percentage of nitrogenous bases on a DNA molecule that are either guanine or cytosine . This may refer to a specific fragment of DNA or RNA, or that of the whole genome...
, had a major impact on how scientists thought about DNA, and how DNA could be handled in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
; this discovery was a cornerstone of the recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA molecules are DNA sequences that result from the use of laboratory methods to bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be found in biological organisms...
revolution. Marmur spent most of his professional career at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a graduate school of Yeshiva University. It is a not-for-profit, private, nonsectarian medical school located on the Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in the Morris Park neighborhood of the borough of the Bronx of New York City...
(AECOM), medical school in the Bronx, NY affiliated with Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
.
In a historical context, Marmur's research can be seen as bridging the work of the 1940s and 1950s, as exemplified by Rollin Hotchkiss
Rollin Hotchkiss
Rollin Douglas Hotchkiss was an American biochemist who helped to establish the role of DNA as the genetic material and contributed to the isolation and purification of the first antibiotics. His work on bacterial transformation helped lay the groundwork for the field of molecular...
, with the work of the 1970s and beyond.
AECOM, while supporting an annual symposium in Marmur's honor, does not list his biography on their web site. A standard work on the history of molecular biology, such as Horace Freeland Judson's The eighth day of creation, may be consulted.