David E. Cane
Encyclopedia
David E. Cane is an American
biological chemist
. He is Vernon K. Krieble Professor of Chemistry
and Professor of Biochemistry
at Brown University
in Providence, Rhode Island
. He is recognized for his work on the biosynthesis
of natural products
, particularly terpenoids
and polyketides
. He was elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science
in 2003.
, Cane graduated magna cum laude
from Harvard College
in 1966. He completed his Ph.D.
study in organic synthesis
in 1971 under the guidance of Prof. E. J. Corey
at Harvard University
. He pursued his studies as a National Institutes of Health
Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Duilio Arigoni
at the Eidgenössiche Technische Hochschule
(Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
) in Zürich
, Switzerland
. In 1973, he joined the faculty of Brown University, where he became a full Professor of Chemistry in 1980, Chair of the Chemistry Department from 1983-1989, and Professor of Biochemistry in 1991.
Cane has been a visiting professor at the University of Chicago
(1980), the Technion (Israel Institute of Technolgy), Haifa
, Israel
(1994-95), the University of California, San Francisco
(1998-99), and the Université Louis Pasteur
in Strasbourg
, France
(1999). He has also been a Visiting Fellow at Christ's College, Cambridge
(1989-90), Emmanuel College, Cambridge
(2004), as well as a visiting scholar at the Institut Louis Pasteur
, Paris
(2005) and the University of Chicago
(2010-2011).
Cane has been Associate Editor of the Journal of Organic Chemistry
(1995 – 2003) and at various times has served on the editorial boards of Bioorganic Chemistry, the Journal of Antibiotics
, Chemical Reviews
, Topics in Stereochemistry, Current Opinion in Chemical Biology
, and the Wiley Encyclopedia of Chemical Biology.
, and molecular genetics
of two main biosynthetic transformations
, including terpenoid metabolism
and polyketide antibiotic biosynthesis
. The Cane laboratory has focused on characterization of the component genes of microbial terpenoid biosynthetic gene clusters
using a combination of genetic, biochemical, and chemical approaches. In this work, he has collaborated with Prof. David W. Christianson at the University of Pennsylvania
and Prof. Haruo Ikeda of the Kitasato Institute of Life Sciences in Tokyo
. For his work on polyketide antibiotics, Cane has had a long-time collaboration with Prof. Chaitan Khosla of Stanford University
, with additional collaborations with Prof. Adrian Keatinge-Clay of the University of Texas at Austin
and Prof. Zixin Deng of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
in China
. They have been concentrated on determination of the biochemical basis for the complex stereochemical control of polyketide natural products.
. In 1995 David discovered them in a box that had remained in the attic for almost 50 years. The letters are filled with Lawrence Cane’s politically sophisticated observations and eyewitness accounts of some of the most dramatic events in history: segregated military units in an Army that was fighting against racism and oppression, the D-Day landings in Normandy, the liberation of France and Belgium, the Battle of the Bulge, the encounter with the Germans, the early stages of the occupation of Germany, and the horrors of the discovery of the concentration camps
.
David Cane collaborated with two accomplished historians, Prof. Judy Barrett Litoff of Bryant University
and Prof. David C. Smith
of the University of Maine
, to provide detailed annotations and historical background to this fascinating collection of letters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
biological chemist
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
. He is Vernon K. Krieble Professor 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 Professor of Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. He is recognized for his work on the biosynthesis
Biosynthesis
Biosynthesis is an enzyme-catalyzed process in cells of living organisms by which substrates are converted to more complex products. The biosynthesis process often consists of several enzymatic steps in which the product of one step is used as substrate in the following step...
of natural products
Natural product
A natural product is a chemical compound or substance produced by a living organism - found in nature that usually has a pharmacological or biological activity for use in pharmaceutical drug discovery and drug design...
, particularly terpenoids
Terpenoid
The terpenoids , sometimes called isoprenoids, are a large and diverse class of naturally occurring organic chemicals similar to terpenes, derived from five-carbon isoprene units assembled and modified in thousands of ways. Most are multicyclic structures that differ from one another not only in...
and polyketides
Polyketide
Polyketides are secondary metabolites from bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. Polyketides are usually biosynthesized through the decarboxylative condensation of malonyl-CoA derived extender units in a similar process to fatty acid synthesis...
. He was elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
in 2003.
Education and Career
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Cane graduated magna cum laude
Latin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1966. He completed his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
study in organic synthesis
Organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the construction of organic compounds via organic reactions. Organic molecules can often contain a higher level of complexity compared to purely inorganic compounds, so the synthesis of organic compounds has...
in 1971 under the guidance of Prof. E. J. Corey
Elias James Corey
Elias James Corey is an American organic chemist. In 1990 he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his development of the theory and methodology of organic synthesis", specifically retrosynthetic analysis...
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 pursued his studies as a National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Duilio Arigoni
Duilio Arigoni
Duilio Arigoni is a Swiss chemist and Emeritus Professor at ETH Zurich. He has worked on the biosynthetic pathways of many organic natural substances.- Birth and education :...
at the Eidgenössiche Technische Hochschule
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
(Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology may refer to one of two institutes of higher education in Switzerland:* ETH Zurich in Zurich* École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Lausanne...
) in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In 1973, he joined the faculty of Brown University, where he became a full Professor of Chemistry in 1980, Chair of the Chemistry Department from 1983-1989, and Professor of Biochemistry in 1991.
Cane has been a visiting professor at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(1980), the Technion (Israel Institute of Technolgy), Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
(1994-95), the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
(1998-99), and the Université Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur University
Louis Pasteur University , also known as Strasbourg I or ULP was a large university in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. As of January 15, 2007, there were 18,847 students enrolled at the university, including around 3,000 foreign students. Research and teaching at ULP concentrates on the natural...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1999). He has also been a Visiting Fellow at Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
(1989-90), Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
(2004), as well as a visiting scholar at the Institut Louis Pasteur
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(2005) and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(2010-2011).
Cane has been Associate Editor of the Journal of Organic Chemistry
Journal of Organic Chemistry
The Journal of Organic Chemistry is a peer-reviewed scientific journal for original contributions of fundamental research in organic and bioorganic chemistry. It is published by the American Chemical Society. Its 2010 impact factor is 4.002....
(1995 – 2003) and at various times has served on the editorial boards of Bioorganic Chemistry, the Journal of Antibiotics
The Journal of Antibiotics
The Journal of Antibiotics is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Nature Publishing Group for the Japan Antibiotics Research Association...
, Chemical Reviews
Chemical Reviews
Chemical Reviews , is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, published since 1924 by the American Chemical Society. As the name indicates, it publishes comprehensive, critical reviews of an area rather than original research...
, Topics in Stereochemistry, Current Opinion in Chemical Biology
Current Opinion
Current Opinion is a publisher of review journals on various subjects of biology owned by Elsevier . Each issue, published every two months, contains one or more themed ‘sections’ edited by scientists who specialise in the field and invite authors to contribute reviews aimed at experts and...
, and the Wiley Encyclopedia of Chemical Biology.
Research
Cane’s research interests have been the elucidation of the chemistry, mechanistic enzymologyEnzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
, and molecular genetics
Molecular genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
of two main biosynthetic transformations
Biosynthesis
Biosynthesis is an enzyme-catalyzed process in cells of living organisms by which substrates are converted to more complex products. The biosynthesis process often consists of several enzymatic steps in which the product of one step is used as substrate in the following step...
, including terpenoid metabolism
Terpenoid
The terpenoids , sometimes called isoprenoids, are a large and diverse class of naturally occurring organic chemicals similar to terpenes, derived from five-carbon isoprene units assembled and modified in thousands of ways. Most are multicyclic structures that differ from one another not only in...
and polyketide antibiotic biosynthesis
Polyketide
Polyketides are secondary metabolites from bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. Polyketides are usually biosynthesized through the decarboxylative condensation of malonyl-CoA derived extender units in a similar process to fatty acid synthesis...
. The Cane laboratory has focused on characterization of the component genes of microbial terpenoid biosynthetic gene clusters
Gene cluster
A gene cluster is a set of two or more genes that serve to encode for the same or similar products. Because populations from a common ancestor tend to possess the same varieties of gene clusters, they are useful for tracing back recent evolutionary history...
using a combination of genetic, biochemical, and chemical approaches. In this work, he has collaborated with Prof. David W. Christianson at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and Prof. Haruo Ikeda of the Kitasato Institute of Life Sciences in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. For his work on polyketide antibiotics, Cane has had a long-time collaboration with Prof. Chaitan Khosla of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, with additional collaborations with Prof. Adrian Keatinge-Clay of the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and Prof. Zixin Deng of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University or SJTU), sometimes referred to as Shanghai Jiaotong University , is a top public research university located in Shanghai, China. Shanghai Jiao Tong University is known as one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. They have been concentrated on determination of the biochemical basis for the complex stereochemical control of polyketide natural products.
Awards and Honors
Cane has received many awards and honors, including the following:- Philip J. Bray Award for Teaching Excellence in the Physical Sciences, Brown University, 2008
- Repligen Award, American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe 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...
, Division of Biological Chemistry, 2005 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, 2003 - Prelog Medal of the Eidgenössiche Technische Hochschule, Zürich, 2002
- Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award of the American Chemical Society, 2000
- Fogarty International CenterJohn E. Fogarty International CenterThe John E. Fogarty International Center is part of the federal government of the United States and is the only arm of the National Institutes of Health whose sole mission is to support global health. It is one of the 27 component organizations of the NIH, which is in turn part of the U.S....
Senior International Fellow, 1999 and 1989 - Kitasato Medal in Microbial Chemistry, 1995
- National Institutes of Health MERIT Award, 1994-2004
- Simonsen Lecture, Royal Society of ChemistryRoyal Society of ChemistryThe Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
, 1990-91 - FulbrightFulbright ProgramThe Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
Commission Grant-in Aid, 1990 - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationThe John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
Fellow, 1990 - Ernest Guenther Award of the American Chemical Society, 1985
- Japan Society for the Promotion of ScienceJapan Society for the Promotion of ScienceThe is an independent administrative institution in Japan, established for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science in all fields of the natural and social sciences and the humanities.-History:...
Fellow, 1983 - Alfred P. SloanAlfred P. SloanAlfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman, and CEO of General Motors Corporation...
Fellow, 1978-1982
Notable Publications
As of 2011, Cane has published over 280 research papers and 10 book chapters. He has also been editor of 2 books, including a collection of World War II letters.- Comprehensive Natural Products Chemistry, volume 2: Isoprenoids Including Carotenoids and Steroids, David E. Cane, volume editor. Elsevier, 1999. ISBN 0080431542 (0-08-043154-2)
- Fighting Fascism in Europe. The World War II Letters of an American Veteran of the Spanish Civil War, by Lawrence Cane. Edited by David E. Cane, Judy Barrett Litoff, and David C. Smith. Fordham University Press, New York, 2003. ISBN 0823222519 (0-8232-2251-9)
Fighting Fascism in Europe. The World War II Letters of an American Veteran of the Spanish Civil War
David Cane’s father, Lawrence Cane, wrote more than 300 letters home while serving in the American Army during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1995 David discovered them in a box that had remained in the attic for almost 50 years. The letters are filled with Lawrence Cane’s politically sophisticated observations and eyewitness accounts of some of the most dramatic events in history: segregated military units in an Army that was fighting against racism and oppression, the D-Day landings in Normandy, the liberation of France and Belgium, the Battle of the Bulge, the encounter with the Germans, the early stages of the occupation of Germany, and the horrors of the discovery of the concentration camps
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
.
David Cane collaborated with two accomplished historians, Prof. Judy Barrett Litoff of Bryant University
Bryant University
Bryant University is a private university located in Smithfield, Rhode Island, U.S., that grants the degrees of bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and master's degrees in business, taxation and accounting. Until August 2004, it was known as Bryant College...
and Prof. David C. Smith
David C. Smith (historian)
David C. Smith was Bird and Bird Professor of History at University of Maine, Orono. His interests included in the relationship between geography and wealth...
of the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
, to provide detailed annotations and historical background to this fascinating collection of letters.