Koji Nakanishi
Encyclopedia
a bioorganic
and natural products chemist
, is Centennial Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
and former Chairman of the Chemistry Department, Columbia University
.
He was born in Hong Kong
on May 11, 1925. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Nagoya University
in 1947 from Prof. Fujio Egami. Following two years of post-graduate work with Prof. Louis Fieser
at Harvard University
, he returned to Nagoya University where he completed his Ph.D. in 1954 with Prof. Yoshimasa Hirata. He took a position as Assistant Professor at Nagoya, and then Professor of Chemistry at Tokyo Kyoiku University. In 1963 he moved to Tohoku University
in Sendai and remained there until 1969 when he joined the faculty of Columbia University. In 1980 he became Centennial Professor of Chemistry. He was Chairman of the Chemistry Department, 1987-90.
He was a founding member and one of the six Directors of Research at the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya
, the first Director of the nonprofit Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research (Sunbor), Osaka
, and he assisted the Brazilian government to set up a center of excellence in the Amazons, the Institute of Medicinal and Ecological Chemistry with its headquarters in Sao Paolo. In April 2001 he was asked to start a chemistry unit within Biosphere 2
, Arizona, operated by Columbia University
.
His research encompasses isolation, structural and bioorganic studies of bioactive compounds, retinal proteins, interaction between ligands and neuroreceptors, development of various spectroscopic methods, especially circular dichroic spectroscopy. He has published around 750 papers, and has authored, co-authored, or edited nine books on spectroscopy and natural products.
Koji Nakanishi has determined the structures of over 200 biologically active animal and plant natural products, many of which are endogenous and/or the first member of a new class. These include ginkgolides from the ancient ginkgo
tree, first insect molting
hormones from plants, new nucleic acid bases, insect antifeedants, antibiotic
s, first meiosis inducing substance from starfish, crustacean molt inhibitors, shark repellents from fish, tunicate
blood pigments, brevetoxin
s from red-tide dinoflagellate
s, philanthotoxin
(glutamate and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
antagonist) from a wasp
, and the human eye pigment involved in macular degeneration.
His studies with retinal analogs and retinal proteins have made seminal contributions in understanding the structural and mechanistic basis of animal vision and phototaxis
. In 2000 his research group succeeded in clarifying relative movements of the retinal and the opsin
receptor throughout the visual transduction process; this is the first such study performed with G protein
coupled receptors (GPCR) and will contribute in clarifying the mode of action of numerous other GPCRs. It also established the structure and biosynthesis of the fluorescent pigment A2E that leads to the incurable eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its involvement in apoptosis.
His spectroscopic contributions include the first applications of the NMR nuclear Overhauser effect
in structure determination during the ginkgolide
studies (1967), and in particular development of the xciton coupled circular dichroic
method] (1969), a non-empirical sub-microgram scale technique for determining various aspects of molecular chirality
of organic molecules in solution, an extremely versatile technique applicable to compounds ranging from small molecules to various types of ligand
/ receptor complexes.
As of December 2002, approximately 425 students and postdoctoral fellows have spent a period of time in his group, i.e., 95 in Japan and 330 at Columbia University. About 140 of his former colleagues hold academic positions at universities.
He has received awards from U.S.A., Japan, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Holland, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and U.K. In an unprecedented international alliance, the Nakanishi Prize of the American Chemical Society
(ACS) and the Chemical Society of Japan
(CSJ) was established in 1996 and is awarded in alternate years in Japan and the U.S. to recognize achievements in chemical and spectroscopic methods to the study of biological phenomena; it is the only CSJ prize with an individual’s name. More recently in 1999, he was awarded one of Japan's highest honors, "Person of Cultural Merit
" for his breakthrough research in the organic chemistry of natural products.
His many honors include the prestigious King Faisal International Prize in Science, the Welch Award, the Arthur C. Cope Award
, the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy, the National Academy of Sciences
Award in Chemical Sciences, and the Japan Academy Prize
, as well as honorary doctorates from Williams College
, Georgetown University
and the University of Uppsala.
When Koji Nakanishi appears at a reception where he is scheduled to receive an award or to present a scientific paper, the audience could most generally expect an added spectacular surprise treat, as Koji is a famous and talented magician.
Koji Nakanishi has two children, Keiko and Jun, and three grandchildren, Aya, Kenji, and Pico. Pico is currently a student at Columbia University
.
Bioorganic chemistry
Bioorganic chemistry is a rapidly growing scientific discipline that combines organic chemistry and biochemistry. While biochemistry aims at understanding biological processes using chemistry, bioorganic chemistry attempts to expand organic-chemical researches toward biology...
and natural products chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
, is Centennial Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and former Chairman of the Chemistry Department, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
He was born in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
on May 11, 1925. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Nagoya University
Nagoya University
Nagoya University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:...
in 1947 from Prof. Fujio Egami. Following two years of post-graduate work with Prof. Louis Fieser
Louis Fieser
Louis Frederick Fieser was an organic chemist, professor, and in 1968, professor emeritus at Harvard University. He was renowned as the inventor, in 1943, of a militarily effective form of napalm...
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...
, he returned to Nagoya University where he completed his Ph.D. in 1954 with Prof. Yoshimasa Hirata. He took a position as Assistant Professor at Nagoya, and then Professor of Chemistry at Tokyo Kyoiku University. In 1963 he moved to Tohoku University
Tohoku University
, abbreviated to , located in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region, Japan, is a Japanese national university. It is the third oldest Imperial University in Japan and is a member of the National Seven Universities...
in Sendai and remained there until 1969 when he joined the faculty of Columbia University. In 1980 he became Centennial Professor of Chemistry. He was Chairman of the Chemistry Department, 1987-90.
He was a founding member and one of the six Directors of Research at the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, the first Director of the nonprofit Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research (Sunbor), Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, and he assisted the Brazilian government to set up a center of excellence in the Amazons, the Institute of Medicinal and Ecological Chemistry with its headquarters in Sao Paolo. In April 2001 he was asked to start a chemistry unit within Biosphere 2
Biosphere 2
Biosphere 2 is a structure originally built to be an artificial, materially-closed ecological system in Oracle, Arizona by Space Biosphere Ventures, a joint venture whose principal officers were John P. Allen, inventor and Executive Director, and Margret Augustine, CEO...
, Arizona, operated by Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
His research encompasses isolation, structural and bioorganic studies of bioactive compounds, retinal proteins, interaction between ligands and neuroreceptors, development of various spectroscopic methods, especially circular dichroic spectroscopy. He has published around 750 papers, and has authored, co-authored, or edited nine books on spectroscopy and natural products.
Koji Nakanishi has determined the structures of over 200 biologically active animal and plant natural products, many of which are endogenous and/or the first member of a new class. These include ginkgolides from the ancient ginkgo
Ginkgo
Ginkgo , also spelled gingko and known as the Maidenhair Tree, is a unique species of tree with no close living relatives...
tree, first insect molting
Ecdysis
Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticula in many invertebrates. This process of moulting is the defining feature of the clade Ecdysozoa, comprising the arthropods, nematodes, velvet worms, horsehair worms, rotifers, tardigrades and Cephalorhyncha...
hormones from plants, new nucleic acid bases, insect antifeedants, antibiotic
Antibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
s, first meiosis inducing substance from starfish, crustacean molt inhibitors, shark repellents from fish, tunicate
Tunicate
Tunicates, also known as urochordates, are members of the subphylum Tunicata, previously known as Urochordata, a group of underwater saclike filter feeders with incurrent and excurrent siphons that is classified within the phylum Chordata. While most tunicates live on the ocean floor, others such...
blood pigments, brevetoxin
Brevetoxin
Brevetoxin , or brevetoxins, are a suite of cyclic polyether compounds produced naturally by a species of dinoflagellate known as Karenia brevis...
s from red-tide dinoflagellate
Dinoflagellate
The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. Most are marine plankton, but they are common in fresh water habitats as well. Their populations are distributed depending on temperature, salinity, or depth...
s, philanthotoxin
Philanthotoxin
Philanthotoxins are components of the venom of Egyptian solitary wasp Philanthus triangulum F and four toxins are distinguished among which delta-philanthotoxin is most effective to block glutamate receptors and especially those quisqualate-sensitive, that is AMPA receptor...
(glutamate and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are cholinergic receptors that form ligand-gated ion channels in the plasma membranes of certain neurons and on the postsynaptic side of the neuromuscular junction...
antagonist) from a wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
, and the human eye pigment involved in macular degeneration.
His studies with retinal analogs and retinal proteins have made seminal contributions in understanding the structural and mechanistic basis of animal vision and phototaxis
Phototaxis
Phototaxis is a kind of taxis, or locomotory movement, that occurs when a whole organism moves in response to the stimulus of light. This is advantageous for phototrophic organisms as they can orient themselves most efficiently to receive light for photosynthesis...
. In 2000 his research group succeeded in clarifying relative movements of the retinal and the opsin
Opsin
Opsins are a group of light-sensitive 35–55 kDa membrane-bound G protein-coupled receptors of the retinylidene protein family found in photoreceptor cells of the retina. Five classical groups of opsins are involved in vision, mediating the conversion of a photon of light into an electrochemical...
receptor throughout the visual transduction process; this is the first such study performed with G protein
G protein
G proteins are a family of proteins involved in transmitting chemical signals outside the cell, and causing changes inside the cell. They communicate signals from many hormones, neurotransmitters, and other signaling factors. G protein-coupled receptors are transmembrane receptors...
coupled receptors (GPCR) and will contribute in clarifying the mode of action of numerous other GPCRs. It also established the structure and biosynthesis of the fluorescent pigment A2E that leads to the incurable eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its involvement in apoptosis.
His spectroscopic contributions include the first applications of the NMR nuclear Overhauser effect
Nuclear Overhauser effect
The Nuclear Overhauser Effect is the transfer of nuclear spin polarization from one nuclear spin population to another via cross-relaxation. It is a common phenomenon observed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The theoretical basis for the NOE was described and experimentally verified...
in structure determination during the ginkgolide
Ginkgolide
thumb|right|Chemical structure of ginkgolidesGinkgolides are biologically active terpenic lactones present in Ginkgo biloba. They are diterpenoids with 20-carbon skeletons, which are biosynthesized from geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate....
studies (1967), and in particular development of the xciton coupled circular dichroic
Circular dichroism
Circular dichroism refers to the differential absorption of left and right circularly polarized light. This phenomenon was discovered by Jean-Baptiste Biot, Augustin Fresnel, and Aimé Cotton in the first half of the 19th century. It is exhibited in the absorption bands of optically active chiral...
method] (1969), a non-empirical sub-microgram scale technique for determining various aspects of molecular chirality
Chirality (chemistry)
A chiral molecule is a type of molecule that lacks an internal plane of symmetry and thus has a non-superimposable mirror image. The feature that is most often the cause of chirality in molecules is the presence of an asymmetric carbon atom....
of organic molecules in solution, an extremely versatile technique applicable to compounds ranging from small molecules to various types of ligand
Ligand
In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding between metal and ligand generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electron pairs. The nature of metal-ligand bonding can range from...
/ receptor complexes.
As of December 2002, approximately 425 students and postdoctoral fellows have spent a period of time in his group, i.e., 95 in Japan and 330 at Columbia University. About 140 of his former colleagues hold academic positions at universities.
He has received awards from U.S.A., Japan, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Holland, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and U.K. In an unprecedented international alliance, the Nakanishi Prize of the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
(ACS) and the Chemical Society of Japan
Chemical Society of Japan
The Chemical Society of Japan is a learned society and professional association founded in 1878 in order to advance research in chemistry. The mission of the CSJ is to promote chemistry for science and industry in collaboration with other domestic and global societies.-History:The organization...
(CSJ) was established in 1996 and is awarded in alternate years in Japan and the U.S. to recognize achievements in chemical and spectroscopic methods to the study of biological phenomena; it is the only CSJ prize with an individual’s name. More recently in 1999, he was awarded one of Japan's highest honors, "Person of Cultural Merit
Person of Cultural Merit
is an official Japanese recognition-honor which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of creative activities in Japan...
" for his breakthrough research in the organic chemistry of natural products.
His many honors include the prestigious King Faisal International Prize in Science, the Welch Award, the Arthur C. Cope Award
Arthur C. Cope Award
The Arthur C. Cope Award is a prize awarded for achievement in the field of organic chemistry research. It is generally considered one of the highest honors in the field. It is sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund, and has been awarded since 1973 by the American Chemical Society.Recipients...
, the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy, the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
Award in Chemical Sciences, and the Japan Academy Prize
Japan Academy Prize
Japan Academy Prize may refer to:*Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy, an award of the Japan Academy to non-members in recognition of outstanding academic achievements....
, as well as honorary doctorates from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and the University of Uppsala.
When Koji Nakanishi appears at a reception where he is scheduled to receive an award or to present a scientific paper, the audience could most generally expect an added spectacular surprise treat, as Koji is a famous and talented magician.
Koji Nakanishi has two children, Keiko and Jun, and three grandchildren, Aya, Kenji, and Pico. Pico is currently a student at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.