MicroscopyPioneers
Pioneers in Fluorescence Spectroscopy: Gregorio Weber
Cameron Varano Te Pennsylvania State University, 201 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802
cvarano@psu.edu
Gregorio Weber (1916–1997) Born in Argentina, Gregorio
Weber began his collegiate education at the University of Buenos Aires in his hometown. Tere he completed a med- ical degree in 1942 and carried out a teaching assistantship under Bernardo Houssay, who would become a Nobel laureate. Houssay nominated Weber for a British Council Fellowship, which he won, enabling Weber to pursue gradu- ate studies at Cambridge University. At Cambridge, Weber’s thesis advisor suggested he study the fluorescence of flavins and flavoproteins, which was the beginning of a long and successful career that resulted in Weber becoming widely recognized as the founder of modern fluorescence spectroscopy. Aſter he received his doctorate in chemistry, Weber
remained at Cambridge carrying out independent research until 1953, when he accepted a position in the new biochem- istry department at Sheffield University. His years at the aca- demic institution were marked by many pioneering efforts, which he later continued at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Some of the many groundbreaking developments that Weber developed in the field of fluorescence include the introduction of fluorescence polarization as a method to study macromolecular dynamics, the creation of
the first broadly
utilized phase-modulation fluorometer, and the presentation of the first report regarding the classical technique of measuring the absolute quantum yield of fluorescence. He also recognized the importance of fluorescent probes and carried out extensive research in probe chemistry, developed high-pressure fluores- cence spectroscopy as a way to examine biological membranes and proteins, formulated the addition law of fluorescence polar- ization, and characterized the ultraviolet fluorescence of the aromatic amino acids. In the realm of protein chemistry Weber’s work was also highly
influential. While still at Cambridge, he synthesized dansyl chloride for use in his studies, a compound that has become one of the most heavily used reagents in protein chemistry. Later he became one of the first scientists to work in the field of protein dynamics, realizing as early as the 1960s that proteins were not rigid, unchanging enti- ties. Weber also introduced physical techniques that continue to be popularly used in the field, as well as the concept of standard free energy couplings between pairs of bound ligands (ions, molecules, or molecular groups that bind to another chemical unit to fashion
60 doi:10.1017/S1551929520001376
www.microscopy-today.com • 2020 September
a larger complex), which changed the way many protein chemists think about proteins and allosteric interactions. Weber was highly esteemed by his colleagues and received
many honors during his lifetime. He was elected a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a corresponding mem- ber of Te National Academy of Exact Sciences of Argentina. Te first recipient of both the American Chemical Society’s Repligen Award for the Chemistry of Biological Processes and the Inter- national Jablonski Award for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Weber was also bestowed the ISCO award for Excellence in Biochemi- cal Instrumentation and the Rumford Premium of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Aſter a struggle with leukemia, Weber passed away on July 18, 1997, but his pioneering efforts paved the way for others to travel, many of whom are expanding the innovative work that he began.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
