- Hsien Wu
Hsien Wu (吴宪; 24 November 1893 - 8 August 1959) was an early protein scientist who was the first to propose that
protein denaturation was a purely conformational change, i.e., corresponded to protein unfolding and not to some chemical alteration of the protein. [cite journal | last = Wu | first = H | year = 1931 | title = Studies on Denaturation of Proteins. XIII. A Theory of Denaturation | journal = Chinese Journal of Physiology | volume = 5 | pages = 321–344 Preliminary reports were presented before the XIIIth International Congress of Physiology at Boston (19-24 August 1929) and in the October 1929 issue of the "American Journal of Physiology".] This crucial idea was popularized later byLinus Pauling andAlfred Mirsky .cite journal| last = Mirsky | first = AE | authorlink=Alfred Mirsky | coauthors = Pauling L | title = On the Structure of Native, Denatured, and Coagulated Proteins | year = 1936 | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA | volume = 22 | pages = 439–447 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.22.7.439]Wu was born in
Fuzhou ,Fujian , China and trained atMIT (undergraduate) then atHarvard University (graduate) underOtto Folin , developing the first assay for blood sugar (Folin-Wu method ), then returned to China and a position atPeking Union Medical College , becoming head of thebiochemistry department in 1924 at age 30.Wu's son,
Ray J. Wu , became a well-respected professor atCornell University , theLiberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Molecular Genetics and Biology, and has been active in studying transgenic plants, particularlyrice .References
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