Øjvind Winge
Encyclopedia
Øjvind Winge was a Danish
biologist
and a pioneer in yeast
genetics.
He was born in the city of Aarhus
in Jutland
, the mainland of Denmark. After completing secondary school he travelled to the University of Copenhagen
to study law but found himself more suited to the biological sciences into which he transferred. He graduated with a masters degree in the year 1910. From Copenhagen he travelled to Stockholm
, Paris
and Chicago
, studying mainly chromosomal cytology
before finally returning to the University of Copenhagen to do a doctoral thesis entitled The Chromosomes: Their Numbers and General Importance. In 1910 Winge was appointed chair of genetics at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College
, Copenhagen, where amongst other works he wrote The Textbook in Genetics, published in 1928.
In 1933 he was offered and accepted the position of Director of the Physiology Department in the Carlsberg Laboratory
, Copenhagen. Here he dedicated his research to the 3 principal lifeforms of interest to his benefactors; hops
, barley
and yeast
, although his studies became increasingly dedicated to yeast. He developed and used techniques to achieve the micromanipulation of single yeast cells and spore
s in order to investigate them on a genetic level. He found that yeast spores are diploid and haploid cells occur as a result of conjugation of two haploid cells or self-diploidisation. This was important as it revealed that the species exhibits alternation
and that strains can be genetically manipulated by specific mating. Winge also demonstrated that the traits of the organisms were mainly governed by simple Mendelian rules
. He continued his research and his lab produced a steady output of genetics papers until 1961.
Winge's work was of critical importance to the basic formation of early genetic engineering
and biotechnology
. He helped to establish a firm basis for what have now developed into important and lucrative scientific fields. For this reason he is often attributed the title of 'The Father of Yeast Genetics'.
Winge was elected foreign member of the Royal Society
in 1947
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
and a pioneer in yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
genetics.
He was born in the city of Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, the mainland of Denmark. After completing secondary school he travelled to the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
to study law but found himself more suited to the biological sciences into which he transferred. He graduated with a masters degree in the year 1910. From Copenhagen he travelled to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, 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...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, studying mainly chromosomal cytology
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
before finally returning to the University of Copenhagen to do a doctoral thesis entitled The Chromosomes: Their Numbers and General Importance. In 1910 Winge was appointed chair of genetics at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College
University of Copenhagen Faculty of Life Sciences
The faculty previously known as the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University is located in Frederiksberg, Denmark and was established in 1856. As of 1 January 2007, the University merged with the University of Copenhagen...
, Copenhagen, where amongst other works he wrote The Textbook in Genetics, published in 1928.
In 1933 he was offered and accepted the position of Director of the Physiology Department in the Carlsberg Laboratory
Carlsberg Laboratory
The Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark was created in 1875 by J. C. Jacobsen, the founder of the Carlsberg brewery, for the sake of advancing biochemical knowledge, especially relating to brewing. It featured a Department of Chemistry and a Department of Physiology...
, Copenhagen. Here he dedicated his research to the 3 principal lifeforms of interest to his benefactors; hops
Hop (plant)
Humulus, Hop, is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The female flowers of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
and yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
, although his studies became increasingly dedicated to yeast. He developed and used techniques to achieve the micromanipulation of single yeast cells and spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s in order to investigate them on a genetic level. He found that yeast spores are diploid and haploid cells occur as a result of conjugation of two haploid cells or self-diploidisation. This was important as it revealed that the species exhibits alternation
Alternation
Alternation may refer to:*Alternation *Alternation , a variation in the phonological form of a morpheme*Diathesis alternation*Alternation , a resource in computational complexity theory*R/N alternation, see Rhotacism...
and that strains can be genetically manipulated by specific mating. Winge also demonstrated that the traits of the organisms were mainly governed by simple Mendelian rules
Mendelian inheritance
Mendelian inheritance is a scientific description of how hereditary characteristics are passed from parent organisms to their offspring; it underlies much of genetics...
. He continued his research and his lab produced a steady output of genetics papers until 1961.
Winge's work was of critical importance to the basic formation of early genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
and biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
. He helped to establish a firm basis for what have now developed into important and lucrative scientific fields. For this reason he is often attributed the title of 'The Father of Yeast Genetics'.
Winge was elected foreign member of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1947
Selected bibliography
- Ferdinandsen, C. & Winge, Ø. (1910) Fungi from Professor Warming's expedition to VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and the West IndiesDanish West IndiesThe Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark-Norway and later Denmark in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917...
. Botanisk TidsskriftBotanisk TidsskriftBotanisk Tidsskrift was a Danish mixed scientific and amateur journal concerning botany, issued in Copenhagen by the Danish Botanical Society...
, 30, 211-. - Ferdinandsen, C. & Winge, Ø. (1914) Ostenfeldiella - a new genus of PlasmodiophoraceaePhytomyxeaThe Phytomyxea are a group of protists that are parasites of plants. A more common name for them is the plasmodiophorids, but this does not always include Phagomyxa. They typically develop within plant cells, causing the infected tissue to grow into a gall or scab...
. Annals of Botany, 28, 643-649. Named for Carl Hansen OstenfeldCarl Hansen OstenfeldCarl Emil Hansen Ostenfeld was a Danish systematic botanist. He graduated from the University of Copenhagen under professor Eugenius Warming. He was a keeper at the Botanical Museum 1900-1918, when he became professor of botany at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College...
. - Winge Ø. (1914) Investigations on hops (Humulus lupulus, L.HopsHops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
). III. The pollination and fertlization process in Humulus lupulus L. and H. japonicus Sieb. et. Zucc. Comptes Rendus des Travaux du Laboratoire Carlsberg, 11, 1-46. - Winge, Ø. (1917) The chromosomes: their numbers and general importance. Comptes Rendus des Travaux du Laboratoire Carlsberg, 13, 131-275. Doctoral thesis.
- Winge, Ø. (1927) The location of eighteen genes in Lebistes reticulatus. Journal of Genetics, 18, 1-43.
- Winge, Ø. (1928) Textbook in Genetics (Danish title: Arvelighedslære paa eksperimentelt og cytologisk Grundlag). 2nd edn. 1937; 3rd end. 1945. KøbenhavnCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. - Winge Ø. (1931) X- and Y-linked inheritance in Melandrium. Hereditas, 15, 127-165.
- Winge, Ø. (1935) On haplophase and diplophase of some SaccharomycetesSaccharomycetesSaccharomycetes is a class in the kingdom of fungi. It contains the order Saccharomycetales, the budding yeasts. Hemiascomycetes is a more or less synonymous name.-External links:*...
. Comptes Rendus des Travaux du Laboratoire Carlsberg. Série Physiologique, 21, 77-111. - Winge, Ø. (1950) Inheritance in dogs: with special reference to hunting breeds. Ithaca, New York. 153 p.
- Winge, Ø. (1960) Priority in gene conversion. Comptes Rendus des Travaux du Laboratoire Carlsberg. Série Physiologique, 23, 343-347. PMID 13845218