Bernard L. Strehler
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| name = Bernard L. Strehler
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| birth_date = 1925
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| death_date = 2001
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| occupation = Biogerontologist
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Bernard Strehler (1925–2001) was an early biogerontologist. He published the book Time, Cells, and Aging.
In 1949, he first purified firefly luciferin,{{cite journal | last=Strehler | first=Bernard L. | last2=McElroy | first2=William D. | title=Purification of firefly luciferin | journal=Journal of Cellular and Comparative Physiology | volume=34 | issue=3 | date=1949 | issn=0095-9898 | doi=10.1002/jcp.1030340310 | pages=457–466}} which gives off light after being combined with ATP, magnesium ion, oxygen, and firefly luciferase. In 1956, he switched to the field of aging. He joined the faculty of the University of Southern California as a professor of biology and director of biological research at the USC Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center.{{cite web |url=https://news.usc.edu/4920/Obituary-Bernard-Strehler-pioneering-biogerontologist-76/ |title=Obituary: Bernard Strehler, pioneering biogerontologist, 76 |newspaper=USC Today |date= 10 June 2001|author= |accessdate= May 12, 2015}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/17/us/bernard-strehler-76-studied-the-causes-of-aging.html |title=Bernard Strehler, 76 - Studied the Causes of Aging |newspaper=The New York Times |date= June 17, 2001 |author= |accessdate= May 12, 2015}}
Biography
Strehler studied biology at Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated in 1947. Three years later, he also received his doctorate there. He then worked at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. He identified luciferin, the luminescent substance of various beetle species, which he isolated from thousands of fireflies.W. D. McElroy und B. L. Strehler: "Factors influencing the response of the bioluminescent reaction to adenosine triphosphate". In: Arch Biochem. 22, 1949, S. 420–433. {{PMID|18134550}}W. D. McElroy und B. L. Strehler: Purification of firefly luciferin. In: J Cell Physiol. 34, 1949, S. 457–466. PMID 15406363 Together with William Arnold, Strehler discovered that all green plants are bioluminescent as a result of the reversal of the first enzymatic step of photosynthesis. In 1952, he discovered that plants build up adenosine triphosphate in the chloroplasts under the influence of light.B. L. Strehler: "The luminescence of isolated chloroplasts". In: Arch Biochem. 34, 1951, S. 239–248. PMID 14904058B. L. Strehler: "The isolation and properties of firefly luciferesceine". In: Arch Biochem. 32, 1951, S. 397–406. PMID 14857762
Strehler later became assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of Chicago. In 1956, he went to the National Institutes of Health, where he worked at the Gerontology Centre in Baltimore. The University of Southern California (USC) appointed him Professor of Biology in 1967. He remained at USC until his retirement in 1990. From 1960 onwards, Strehler devoted himself primarily to biogerontological topics. He noticed that the loss in human cells is seven times slower than in cells from domestic dogs. The factor seven is also found in the two maximum life spans of both species.B. L. Strehler und M. P. Chang: "Loss of hybridizable ribosomal DNA from human post-mitotic tissues during aging: II. Age-dependent loss in human cerebral cortex--hippocampal and somatosensory cortex comparison". In: Mech Ageing Dev. 11, 1979, S. 379–382. {{PMID|529838}}B. L. Strehler u. a.: "Loss of hybridizable ribosomal DNA from human post-mitotic tissues during aging: I. Age-dependent loss in human myocardium". In: Mech Ageing Dev. 11, 1979, S. 371–378. {{PMID|529837}}R. Johnson und B. L. Strehler: "Loss of genes coding for ribosomal RNA in ageing brain cells". In: Nature. 240, 1972, S. 412–414. PMID 4564320
Strehler was regarded as one of the most prominent gerontologists of his time, with over 250 publications. He died of a stroke in a nursing home. He left behind two daughters and a son. His wife Theodora died three years before him.[https://grg.org/charter/BLStrehler.htm Obituary for Bernard Strehler, USC Professor of Biology; Studied Aging.] Retrieved 14 September 2010.L. S. Coles: The life and contributions of Professor Bernard L. Strehler, founding editor-in-chief of mechanisms of ageing and development, professor of biology at the University of Southern California (February 21, 1925-May 13, 2001). In: Mech Ageing Dev. 123, 2002, S. 821–825. PMID 12044929
Bibliography
- Times, Cells, and Aging {{ASIN|B01D4OEHOS}}
References
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