Julius Adler (biochemist)
Encyclopedia
Julius Adler Ph.D.
is an American biochemist
. He has been an Emeritus Professor
of biochemistry and genetics
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
since 1997.
in 1930. He came to the United States in 1938 at the age of 8 and became a naturalized citizen in 1943. His family settled in Grand Forks
, North Dakota
where their relatives were among the first Europeans to arrive in 1880. Since he was child, Adler had been fascinated by how organisms sense and respond to the environment.
and received his A.B. in Biochemical Sciences in 1952. He then studied with Henry A. Lardy
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
and earned an M.S.
in Biochemistry in 1954 and a Ph.D.
in Biochemistry in 1957.
After graduating, Adler did postdoctoral fellowships with Arthur Kornberg
in the Department of Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine (1957–59) and A. Dale Kaiser in the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford University
School of Medicine (1959–60).
Adler returned to the University of Wisconsin–Madison
to join the faculty of the Departments of Biochemistry and Genetics as an Assistant Professor in 1960. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1963 and became Professor in 1966. He has been in Madison since then.
He became Edwin Bret Hart Professor in 1972 and was Steenbock Professor of Microbiological Sciences from 1982 to 1992.
laying eggs on milkweeds and the caterpillars staying on the milkweed until maturity can be explained by volatile chemicals from the milkweed.
To study how organisms sense and respond to the environment, Adler decided to study the behavior of bacteria and then ultimately broaden out to the behavior of all organisms. In 1880, Wilhelm Pfeffer
, a famous German botanist, had used motile bacteria to study attraction and repulsion by various plant and animal extracts and chemicals. Adler built on this work. Using the system in Escherichia coli
, Adler showed that bacteria sensed attractants and repellants with sensory proteins he termed chemoreceptors.
These findings led to the discovery of the methylation of a protein in the envelope of E. coli that is involved in chemotaxis
. This protein is methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein
(MCP) and it acquires methyl groups from methionine
. Adler also identified the methylated residue of MCP.
Adler eventually discovered that E. coli contain several MCPs which play important roles in chemotaxis sensory transduction system. Strains of bacteria without this protein, or lacking the ability to methylate and demethylate them were unable to respond to stimuli. An increase in concentration of attractants led to an increase in methylation level of MCP; similarly, a decrease in attractants or increase in repellents led to a decrease in methylation level.
By 1980s, it was determined that bacterial chemotaxis resulted from the regulation of flagellar rotation by chemoreceptors. Bacteria swam more smoothly due to a counterclockwise rotation of their flagella in the presence of increasing attractant. In a decreasing attractant gradient, there is an increase in bacterial tumbling, produced by a clockwise flagellar rotation. Adler isolated bacterial envelopes and found that he could restore counterclockwise flagellar rotation by adding artificial electron donors and an energy source. This suggested that the driving force behind counterclockwise flagellar rotation was the proton electrochemical potential.
fruitflies. Flies are presented with attractant and/or repellent, and mutants that are neither attracted nor repelled are isolated. Defects in the mutants will be studied in hope of revealing the mechanisms involved.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
is an American biochemist
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 has been an Emeritus Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of biochemistry and genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
since 1997.
Early life
Adler was born in Edelfingen, GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1930. He came to the United States in 1938 at the age of 8 and became a naturalized citizen in 1943. His family settled in Grand Forks
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
where their relatives were among the first Europeans to arrive in 1880. Since he was child, Adler had been fascinated by how organisms sense and respond to the environment.
Education
Adler attended Harvard UniversityHarvard 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...
and received his A.B. in Biochemical Sciences in 1952. He then studied with Henry A. Lardy
Henry A. Lardy
Henry A. Lardy was a biochemist and professor emeritus in the Biochemistry Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1958...
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and earned an M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in Biochemistry in 1954 and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Biochemistry in 1957.
After graduating, Adler did postdoctoral fellowships with Arthur Kornberg
Arthur Kornberg
Arthur Kornberg was an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1959 for his discovery of "the mechanisms in the biological synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid " together with Dr. Severo Ochoa of New York University...
in the Department of Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine (1957–59) and A. Dale Kaiser in the Department of Biochemistry at 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...
School of Medicine (1959–60).
Adler returned to the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
to join the faculty of the Departments of Biochemistry and Genetics as an Assistant Professor in 1960. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1963 and became Professor in 1966. He has been in Madison since then.
He became Edwin Bret Hart Professor in 1972 and was Steenbock Professor of Microbiological Sciences from 1982 to 1992.
Contribution to understanding bacterial chemotaxis
His work was inspired by a butterfly he saw in the woods when he was a child. This interest in butterflies expanded to include other organisms. It evolved into a curiosity about the behavior of organisms. He thought the behaviors of the monarch butterflyMonarch butterfly
The Monarch butterfly is a milkweed butterfly , in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer...
laying eggs on milkweeds and the caterpillars staying on the milkweed until maturity can be explained by volatile chemicals from the milkweed.
To study how organisms sense and respond to the environment, Adler decided to study the behavior of bacteria and then ultimately broaden out to the behavior of all organisms. In 1880, Wilhelm Pfeffer
Wilhelm Pfeffer
Wilhelm Friedrich Philipp Pfeffer was a German botanist and plant physiologist who was born in Grebenstein.- Academic career :...
, a famous German botanist, had used motile bacteria to study attraction and repulsion by various plant and animal extracts and chemicals. Adler built on this work. Using the system in Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...
, Adler showed that bacteria sensed attractants and repellants with sensory proteins he termed chemoreceptors.
These findings led to the discovery of the methylation of a protein in the envelope of E. coli that is involved in chemotaxis
Chemotaxis
Chemotaxis is the phenomenon in which somatic cells, bacteria, and other single-cell or multicellular organisms direct their movements according to certain chemicals in their environment. This is important for bacteria to find food by swimming towards the highest concentration of food molecules,...
. This protein is methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein
Methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein
Methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein is a transmembrane sensor protein of bacteria. Use of the MCP allows bacteria to detect concentrations of molecules in the extracellular matrix so that the bacteria may smooth swim or tumble accordingly...
(MCP) and it acquires methyl groups from methionine
Methionine
Methionine is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCHCH2CH2SCH3. This essential amino acid is classified as nonpolar. This amino-acid is coded by the codon AUG, also known as the initiation codon, since it indicates mRNA's coding region where translation into protein...
. Adler also identified the methylated residue of MCP.
Adler eventually discovered that E. coli contain several MCPs which play important roles in chemotaxis sensory transduction system. Strains of bacteria without this protein, or lacking the ability to methylate and demethylate them were unable to respond to stimuli. An increase in concentration of attractants led to an increase in methylation level of MCP; similarly, a decrease in attractants or increase in repellents led to a decrease in methylation level.
By 1980s, it was determined that bacterial chemotaxis resulted from the regulation of flagellar rotation by chemoreceptors. Bacteria swam more smoothly due to a counterclockwise rotation of their flagella in the presence of increasing attractant. In a decreasing attractant gradient, there is an increase in bacterial tumbling, produced by a clockwise flagellar rotation. Adler isolated bacterial envelopes and found that he could restore counterclockwise flagellar rotation by adding artificial electron donors and an energy source. This suggested that the driving force behind counterclockwise flagellar rotation was the proton electrochemical potential.
Current work
Adler is currently doing research on sensory reception and decision making in DrosophilaDrosophila
Drosophila is a genus of small flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "fruit flies" or more appropriately pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit...
fruitflies. Flies are presented with attractant and/or repellent, and mutants that are neither attracted nor repelled are isolated. Defects in the mutants will be studied in hope of revealing the mechanisms involved.
Awards and honors
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
(1976) - Pasteur Award Medal of the Illinois Society for Microbiology (1977)
- Elected to the National Academy of Sciences(1978)
- Selman A. Waksman Award in MicrobiologySelman A. Waksman Award in MicrobiologyThe Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "in recognition of excellence in the field of microbiology." Named after Selman Waksman, it was first awarded in 1968....
of the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe 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...
(1980) - Otto-Warburg Medal of the German Society for Biological Chemistry (1986)
- R. H. Wright Award in Olfactory Research of Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
(1988) - Hilldale Award, University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
(1988) - Abbott-American Society for Microbiology Lifetime Achievement Award (1995)
- William C. Rose Award of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (1996)
- Elected to the American Philosophical SocietyAmerican Philosophical SocietyThe American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
(1989) - Elected 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...
(1991) - Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (1994)
- Elected Fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters (1996)