Mark Ptashne

Mark Ptashne

Mark Ptashne is a molecular biologist and violinist. He currently holds the Ludwig Chair of Molecular Biology at Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was the first scientist to demonstrate specific binding between protein and DNA, and his lifelong work has been the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of switch between lytic and lysogenic lifecyle of bacteriophage lambda, as well as how the yeast transcriptional activator Gal4 works. He was the originator of the "ball and stick" model of transcription factor function, demonstrating in bacteria and in yeast that they typically consist of separable regions that mediate DNA binding and interaction with transcriptional activators or repressors. He has written popular books for a wider scientific audience, including his book Genes and Signals.^[1][2]

References

1. ^ Ptashne, M (1967). "Specific Binding of the λ Phage Repressor to λ DNA". Nature 214 (5085): 232–234. doi:10.1038/214232a0. 
2. ^ Ptashne, M; et al. (1980). "How the λ repressor and cro work". Cell 19 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(80)90383-9. PMID 6444544. 

Bibliography

• Ptashne, M. (2011). "Horace Judson (1931–2011)". PLoS Biology 9 (7): e1001104. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001104.  edit
• Ptashne, M (2004). A Genetic Switch: Phage Lambda Revisited (3rd ed.). Cold Harbor Spring Laboratory Press. ISBN 978-087969716-7. 
• Ptashne, M; Gann, A (2002). Genes and Signals. Cold Harbor Spring Laboratory Press. ISBN 978-087969633-7. 
• Hilts, PJ (24 February 1998). "Scientist at Work: Mark Ptashne; Virtuoso in Plucking Violin or Secrets of Genetic Switches". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9D0DE7D9173EF937A15751C0A96E958260. Retrieved 2009-09-28. 

External links

• Mark Ptashne's personal site
• Mark Ptashne information at Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival Site
• Mark Ptashne's page at Sloan-Kettering Institute Site

Persondata
Name	Ptashne, Mark
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death