W. Wallace Cleland
Encyclopedia
William Wallace Cleland is a University of Wisconsin-Madison biochemistry professor. His research focuses on enzyme
reaction mechanism and enzyme kinetics
. He made significant contributions to our understanding of multiple substrate enzymes. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
in 1985.
in 1950 and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1953 and 1955, respectively.
he returned to University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he became Assistant Professor in 1959. In 1962 he was promoted to Associate Professor and then Professor in 1966. He became J. Johnson Professor of Biochemistry in 1978, and Steenbock Professor of Chemical Science in 1982.
for the reduction of disulfide bonds in proteins. The compound is therefore often called Cleland's reagent. His research interests focus on the use of enzyme kinetics
to deduce enzyme mechanics, primarily those mechanisms involved in phosphoryl and acyl transfers. He was a pioneer in the kinetic and mechanistic study of enzymes that utilize more than one substrate.
Enzyme
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...
reaction mechanism and enzyme kinetics
Enzyme kinetics
Enzyme kinetics is the study of the chemical reactions that are catalysed by enzymes. In enzyme kinetics, the reaction rate is measured and the effects of varying the conditions of the reaction investigated...
. He made significant contributions to our understanding of multiple substrate enzymes. He was elected to 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...
in 1985.
Early life and education
Cleland was born in 1930 in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his A.B. from Oberlin CollegeOberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in 1950 and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1953 and 1955, respectively.
Career
After carrying out postdoctoral research at the University of ChicagoUniversity 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...
he returned to University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he became Assistant Professor in 1959. In 1962 he was promoted to Associate Professor and then Professor in 1966. He became J. Johnson Professor of Biochemistry in 1978, and Steenbock Professor of Chemical Science in 1982.
Scientific contributions
Cleland is well known for being the first to utilize dithiothreitolDithiothreitol
Dithiothreitol is the common name for a small-molecule redox reagent known as Cleland's reagent. DTT's formula is C4H10O2S2 and the molecular structure of its reduced form is shown at the right; its oxidized form is a disulfide-bonded 6-membered ring . Its name derives from the four-carbon...
for the reduction of disulfide bonds in proteins. The compound is therefore often called Cleland's reagent. His research interests focus on the use of enzyme kinetics
Enzyme kinetics
Enzyme kinetics is the study of the chemical reactions that are catalysed by enzymes. In enzyme kinetics, the reaction rate is measured and the effects of varying the conditions of the reaction investigated...
to deduce enzyme mechanics, primarily those mechanisms involved in phosphoryl and acyl transfers. He was a pioneer in the kinetic and mechanistic study of enzymes that utilize more than one substrate.
Books
- Enzyme Kinetics and Mechanism (2007) Paul F. Cook and W.W. Cleland. Garland Science (ISBN 978-0815341406)
Awards and recognition
- 1985 - Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
- 1986 - Fulbright Senior Scholar Award
- 1990 - Merck Award (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyAmerican Society for Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyThe American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is a learned society that was founded on December 26, 1906 at a meeting organized by John Jacob Abel...
) - 1993 - Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic or Bioorganic Chemistry (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...
) - 1995 - Repligen Award (Biological Division of the American Chemical Society)
- 1999 - Stein and Moore Award (Protein Society)