Biochemist Arthur Kornberg (1918 - 2007)

 
Arthur Kornberg died yesterday of respiratory failure. He was 89 [Arthur Kornberg, Biochemist, Dies at 89.

Kornberg won the Nobel Prize in 1959 for his discovery of DNA polymerase (now known as DNA polymerase I). His son, Roger Kornberg was awarded the Nobel Prize last year for working out the structure of RNA polymerase [Nobel Laureate: Roger Kornberg]. Another son, Tom, was co-discoverer of the DNA replication enzymes DNA polymnerase II, and DNA polymerase III. Tom and I were graduate students together in the early 1970's and the lab I was in (B. Alberts) worked on the same problems as Arthur Kornberg's lab at Stanford. Bruce Alberts and Arthur Kornberg received the Gairdner Award here in Toronto in 1995.

Kornberg was proud to be known as a biochemist and he always defended the principles of biochemistry. His autobiography For the Love of Enzymes extolled the virtues of purifying and characterizing enzymes as a way to understanding how life works at the molecular level.

One of his most famous defenses of biochemistry is Kornberg (2004).

Fashions prevail in science as in all human affairs. In recent years, biochemistry has become less fashionable, but there is no doubt that the discipline is important for the full understanding of biology.

Biochemists also know him for creating the Ten Commandments of Enzymology. Unlike the author of the original ten commandments, Kornberg was able to modify and amend his commandments as new developments came along (Kornberg, 2003).

Thou shalt…

• I. Rely on enzymology to resolve and reconstitute biologic events
• II. Trust the universality of biochemistry and the power of microbiology
• III. Not believe something just because you can explain it
• IV. Not waste clean thinking on dirty enzymes
• V. Not waste clean enzymes on dirty substrates
• VI. Use genetics and genomics
• VII. Be aware that cells are molecularly crowded
• VIII. Depend on viruses to open windows
• IX. Remain mindful of the power of radioactive tracers
• X. Employ enzymes as unique reagents

My condolences to the family.

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[Photo Credit: University of Rochester Medical Center]

Kornberg, A. (2004) Biochemistry matters. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 11:493. [PubMed]

Kornberg, A. (2003) Ten commandments of enzymology, amended. Trends Biochem Sci. 28:515-7. [PubMed]