John G. White (biologist)

{{short description|Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Molecular Biology}}

{{For|other people called John White|John White (disambiguation){{!}}John White}}

{{Infobox scientist

| name = John White

| birth_name = John Graham White

| image =

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| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRS|size=100}}

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1943}}

| birth_place = Wales

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| fields = {{Plainlist|

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| alma_mater = {{Plainlist|

Brunel University (BSc)
University of Cambridge (PhD)}}

| thesis_title = Computer aided reconstruction of the nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans

| thesis_url = http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.233920

| thesis_year = 1975

| doctoral_advisor = Sydney Brenner

| academic_advisors =

| doctoral_students = Richard Durbin{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |first=Richard Michael|last=Durbin |title=Studies on the development and organisation of the nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans |publisher=University of Cambridge |year=1987 |url=https://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/f/16u99e0/44CAM_ALMA21431241350003606|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.233920}}|authorlink=Richard M. Durbin}}

| notable_students = {{Plainlist|

Julie Ahringer{{Cite journal

| doi = 10.1016/S0092-8674(03)00985-1

| last1 = Malone | first1 = C. J.

| last2 = Misner | first2 = L.

| last3 = Le Bot | first3 = N.

| last4 = Tsai | first4 = M. C.

| last5 = Campbell | first5 = J. M.

| last6 = Ahringer | first6 = J.

| last7 = White | first7 = J. G.

| title = The C. Elegans hook protein, ZYG-12, mediates the essential attachment between the centrosome and nucleus

| journal = Cell

| volume = 115

| issue = 7

| pages = 825–836

| year = 2003

| pmid = 14697201

| s2cid = 2605372 | doi-access = free

}}

Tony Hyman{{cite web | url=https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research-groups/current-groups/anthony-hyman/group-leader/ | title=Anthony Hyman: Group Leader|website=mpi-cbg.de|author=Anon|year=2022|publisher=Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics }}}}

| known_for = Research using Caenorhabditis elegans

| influences =

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| awards = {{Plainlist|

Mullard Award (1994)
EMBO Member (1994) }}

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}}

John Graham White {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRS}}{{cite web|author=Anon |year=2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117112042/https://royalsociety.org/people/john-white-12519/ |archive-date=17 November 2015 |url=https://royalsociety.org/people/john-white-12519/ |publisher=royalsociety.org |location=London |title=Dr John White FRS }} One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: {{quote|"All text published under the heading 'Biography' on Fellow profile pages is available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License." --{{cite web|url=https://royalsociety.org/about-us/terms-conditions-policies/ |title=Royal Society Terms, conditions and policies |access-date=9 March 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925220834/https://royalsociety.org/about-us/terms-conditions-policies/ |archive-date=25 September 2015 }}}} (born 1943) is an Emeritus Professor of Anatomy and Molecular Biology{{Cite journal

| last1 = White | first1 = J. G.

| title = Getting into the mind of a worm—a personal view

| doi = 10.1895/wormbook.1.158.1

| journal = WormBook

| pages = 1–10

| year = 2013

| pmid = 23801597

| pmc = 4781474

}}{{cite web|url=http://directory.engr.wisc.edu/bme/faculty/white_john |title=White, John - UW-Engineering Directory, College of Engineering @ The University of Wisconsin-Madison |archive-date=9 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209052257/http://directory.engr.wisc.edu/bme/faculty/white_john |url-status=dead }}{{Scopus id}} at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.{{Cite journal | last1 = Squirrell | first1 = J. M. | last2 = Wokosin | first2 = D. L. | last3 = White | first3 = J. G. | last4 = Bavister | first4 = B. D. | title = Long-term two-photon fluorescence imaging of mammalian embryos without compromising viability | journal = Nature Biotechnology | volume = 17 | issue = 8 | pages = 763–767 | year = 1999 | doi = 10.1038/11698 | pmid = 10429240| pmc = 5087329}}{{Cite journal

| doi = 10.1016/0012-1606(81)90284-0

| last1 = Kimble | first1 = J. E.

| authorlink1 = Judith Kimble

| last2 = White | first2 = J. G.

| authorlink2 = John White (biologist)

| title = On the control of germ cell development in Caenorhabditis elegans

| journal = Developmental Biology

| volume = 81

| issue = 2

| pages = 208–219

| year = 1981

| pmid = 7202837

}}{{Cite journal

| last1 = Chalfie | first1 = M.

| last2 = Eddy | first2 = S.

| authorlink2 = Sean Eddy

| last3 = Hengartner | first3 = M. O.

| last4 = Hodgkin | first4 = J.

| authorlink4 = Jonathan Hodgkin

| last5 = Kohara | first5 = Y.

| last6 = Plasterk | first6 = R. H.

| last7 = Waterston | first7 = R. H.

| last8 = White | first8 = J. G.

| authorlink8 = John White (biologist)

| title = Genome maps. VI. Caenorhabditis elegans. Wall chart

| journal = Science

| volume = 270

| issue = 5235

| pages = 415–430

| year = 1995

| pmid = 7569996

| doi = 10.1126/science.270.5235.410

| s2cid = 42933365

}} His research interests are in the biology of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans and laser microscopy.{{Google scholar id}}

Education

White was educated at Brunel University, where he was awarded an undergraduate degree in Physics in 1969. He went on to study for his PhD{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |first=John |last=White |title=Computer aided reconstruction of the nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans |publisher=University of Cambridge |year=1975 |url=http://ulmss-newton.lib.cam.ac.uk/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=15189 |id={{EThOS|477040}} |oclc=500588370 |website=cam.ac.uk |access-date=8 January 2013 |archive-date=6 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406140603/https://ulmss-newton.lib.cam.ac.uk/vwebv/holdingsInfo%3fbibId=15189 |url-status=dead }} at University of Cambridge in 1975 for work on computer-aided reconstruction of the nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans supervised by Sydney Brenner.

Research and career

After working at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, White moved to the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1993. White's research investigates cell division in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.{{Cite journal

| last1 = Hyman | first1 = A. A.

| last2 = White | first2 = J. G.

| title = Determination of cell division axes in the early embryogenesis of Caenorhabditis elegans

| journal = The Journal of Cell Biology

| volume = 105

| issue = 5

| pages = 2123–2135

| year = 1987

| pmid = 3680373

| pmc = 2114830

| doi=10.1083/jcb.105.5.2123

}}{{Cite journal

| last1 = Podbilewicz | first1 = B.

| last2 = White | first2 = J. G.

| authorlink2 = John White (biologist)

| title = Cell fusions in the developing epithelial of C. Elegans

| journal = Developmental Biology

| volume = 161

| issue = 2

| pages = 408–424

| year = 1994

| pmid = 8313992

| doi=10.1006/dbio.1994.1041

}}{{Cite journal

| last1 = White | first1 = J.

| authorlink1 = John White (biologist)

| last2 = Strome | first2 = S.

| title = Cleavage plane specification in C. Elegans: How to divide the spoils

| journal = Cell

| volume = 84

| issue = 2

| pages = 195–198

| year = 1996

| pmid = 8565065

| doi=10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80974-5

| doi-access = free

}}{{Cite journal

| last1 = O'Connell | first1 = K. F.

| last2 = Leys | first2 = C. M.

| last3 = White | first3 = J. G.

| authorlink3 = John White (biologist)

| title = A genetic screen for temperature-sensitive cell-division mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans

| journal = Genetics

| volume = 149

| issue = 3

| pages = 1303–1321

| year = 1998

| doi = 10.1093/genetics/149.3.1303

| pmid = 9649522

| pmc = 1460235

}}{{Cite journal

| last1 = Hird | first1 = S. N.

| last2 = White | first2 = J. G.

| authorlink2 = John White (biologist)

| title = Cortical and cytoplasmic flow polarity in early embryonic cells of Caenorhabditis elegans

| journal = The Journal of Cell Biology

| volume = 121

| issue = 6

| pages = 1343–1355

| year = 1993

| pmid = 8509454

| pmc = 2119718

| doi=10.1083/jcb.121.6.1343

}} With collaborators Sydney Brenner,{{Cite journal

| doi = 10.1098/rstb.1976.0086

| last1 = White | first1 = J. G.

| last2 = Southgate | first2 = E.

| last3 = Thomson | first3 = J. N.

| last4 = Brenner | first4 = S.

| title = The structure of the ventral nerve cord of Caenorhabditis elegans

| journal = Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences

| volume = 275

| issue = 938

| pages = 327–348

| year = 1976

| pmid = 8806

| bibcode = 1976RSPTB.275..327W | doi-access = free

}}{{Cite journal

| doi = 10.1098/rstb.1986.0056

| last1 = White | first1 = J. G.

| authorlink = John White (biologist)

| last2 = Southgate | first2 = E.

| authorlink2=Eileen Southgate

| last3 = Thomson | first3 = J. N.

| last4 = Brenner | first4 = S.

| authorlink4 = Sydney Brenner

| title = The structure of the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

| journal = Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences

| volume = 314

| issue = 1165

| pages = 1–340

| year = 1986

| pmid = 22462104

| bibcode = 1986RSPTB.314....1W | doi-access = free

}} John Sulston{{Cite journal

| last1 = Sulston | first1 = J.

| authorlink1 = John Sulston

| last2 = Schierenberg | first2 = E.

| last3 = White | first3 = J. G.

| authorlink3 = John White (biologist)

| last4 = Thomson | first4 = J.

| title = The embryonic cell lineage of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

| journal = Developmental Biology

| volume = 100

| issue = 1

| pages = 64–119

| year = 1983

| pmid = 6684600

| doi = 10.1016/0012-1606(83)90201-4

}} and others, White co-developed confocal microscopy and mapped the complete nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans, consisting of 302 neurons and over 7000 synapses. The study was published in 1986 by the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, and is considered{{By whom|date=July 2016}} to be the first work in the emerging field of connectomes. More recently his research used:

{{centred pull quote|two collaborative but distinct laboratories, one a biological laboratory that investigates cell division in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and the other an interdisciplinary Biophotonics Instrumentation laboratory that develops new computational and optical techniques for live cell studies.}}

White identified the first gene with a demonstrated role in determining synaptic specificity. He studied the role of cell–cell interaction in determining the lineage pattern, stimulating a wide field of research. In more recent work, White and his co-workers partially confirmed his earlier model of cytokinesis; they discovered genes controlling cytokinesis and found features previously thought specific to plant cell division. Recognising the potentialities of laser-scanning confocal microscopy, White built a prototype microscope: with Brad Amos he developed this into a commercially produced instrument now widely used. His former doctoral students include Richard Durbin, other notable former students include Ahna Skop, Julie Ahringer and Tony Hyman.

=Awards and honours=

White was the recipient of the Mullard Award in 1994. He was elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 1994{{cite web|url=https://people.embo.org/profile/john-g-white|title=John G. White|website=people.embo.org|author=Anon|year=1994}} and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2005.

The Center for Quantitative Cell Imaging at the University of Wisconsin-Madison hosts a biennial seminar series named in honor of John White. Featured speakers have included:

2022: Martin Chalfie; Columbia University
2018: Cornelia Bargmann; Columbia University

Personal life

White has been professor emeritus since he retired in 2008.

References

{{CC-notice|cc=by4|url= https://royalsociety.org/people/john-white-12519/}}

Category:Living people

Category:1943 births

Category:Nematologists

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society

Category:Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization

Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge

Category:Caenorhabditis elegans