Ulrich K. Laemmli
{{Short description|Swiss biochemist}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Ulrich K. Laemmli
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1940}}
| birth_place = Schaffhausen, Switzerland
| nationality = Swiss
| field = Biochemistry
| workplaces = University of Geneva
| alma_mater =
| doctoral_advisor =
| doctoral_students =
| known_for = SDS-PAGE
| prizes = {{no wrap|Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine (1996)
Marcel Benoist Prize (1988)}}
}}
Ulrich K. Laemmli (born 1940), real name Lämmli, is a Professor in the biochemistry and molecular biology departments at University of Geneva. He is known for the refinement of SDS-PAGE, a widely used method for separating proteins based on their electrophoretic mobility.{{cite journal
|author= Laemmli UK
|title= Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4
|journal= Nature
|volume=227
|issue=5259
|pages=680–685
|date=August 1970
|pmid=5432063
|doi= 10.1038/227680a0 |s2cid= 3105149
}} His paper describing the method is among the most cited scholarly journal articles of all time.{{cite web|url=http://lib.bioinfo.pl/meid:125|title=Bio Infobank Library-Kinetics|publisher=BioInfoBank Institute|access-date=9 January 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/papers/eval_of_science_oslo.html|title=THE USE OF JOURNAL IMPACT FACTORS AND CITATION ANALYSIS FOR EVALUATION OF SCIENCE|last=Garfield|first=Eugene|year=1998|publisher=The Scientist|access-date=9 January 2010}}{{cite journal|last=Garfield|first=Eugene|date=12 February 1990|title=The most cited papers of all time|journal=Current Comments|volume=13|issue=7|pages=2–14|url=http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/essays/v13p045y1990.pdf|access-date=9 January 2010}}{{Cite journal |last=Van Noorden |first=Richard |date=2025-04-15 |title=These are the most-cited research papers of all time |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01124-w |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=640 |issue=8059 |pages=591–591 |doi=10.1038/d41586-025-01124-w |issn=1476-4687}} His current research involves studying the structural organization of nuclei and chromatin within the cell.{{cite web|url=http://www.molbio.unige.ch/eng/research_groups/laemmli/lab |title=PROFESSOR ULRICH K. LAEMMLI|date=17 October 2008|publisher=Département de biologie moléculaire - Université de Genève|access-date=7 January 2010|location=Geneva, Switzerland}}
Career
Laemmli received a PhD in 1969 at the University of Geneva under Eduard Kellenberger.{{cite web |title=Prizes |url=https://lifesciencesphd.unige.ch/events/prizes |website=Events, seminars, students' life |publisher=University of Geneva Faculties of Medicine and Science |access-date=9 November 2023}} His thesis was titled "The assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4".{{cite journal |last1=Laemmli |first1=U. K. |last2=Quittner |first2=F. |title=Maturation of the head of bacteriophage T4: IV. The proteins of the core of the tubular polyheads and in vitro cleavage of the head proteins |journal=Virology |date=1974 |volume=62 |issue=2 |pages=483–499 |doi=10.1016/0042-6822(74)90409-7 |pmid=4432376 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0042682274904097 |access-date=9 November 2023|url-access=subscription }} He conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology under Aaron Klug.{{cite web |last1=King |first1=Jonathan |title=Ulrich Laemmli's development of SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis |url=https://fnl.mit.edu/ulrich-laemmlis-development-of-sds-polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoresis/ |website=MIT Faculty Newsletter |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |access-date=9 November 2023}}
Major scientific contributions
Although electrophoresis was used to separate proteins before Laemmli's work, he made significant improvements to the method. The term "Laemmli buffer" is often used to describe an SDS-containing buffer that is used to prepare (denature) samples for SDS-PAGE.{{cite web|url=http://www.encorbio.com/protocols/SDS-PAGE.htm|title=SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)|year=2010|publisher=EnCor Biotechnology Inc. |access-date=9 January 2010|location=Gainesville, FL}}
Awards and honors
- Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine – 1996{{cite web |url = http://www.jeantet.ch/e/prize/laureatss.php# |title = The winners of the Louis-Jeantet Prize for medicine|publisher = Louis-Jeante Foundation |access-date = 14 October 2009}}
- Elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science – 2006{{cite journal|last=LEMPINEN|first=EDWARD W. |date=24 November 2006|title=AAAS Members Elected as Fellows|journal=Science|publisher=AAAS|volume=314|pages=1256–60 [1258] | doi = 10.1126/science.314.5803.1256|url=https://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/314/5803/1256.pdf|access-date=7 January 2009|issue=5803|doi-access=free}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aaas.org/publications/annual_report/2006/aaas_annualreport06.pdf|title=2006 annual report|year=2006|publisher=AAAS|pages=22|access-date=7 January 2010}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://oa.mg/author/ulrich-k-laemmli-A258089896 Ulrich K. Laemmli's publication list]
- [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&term=Laemmli%20U%20 Laemmli et al publications on Pubmed]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Laemmli, Ulrich K.}}
Category:Academic staff of the University of Geneva
Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
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