MOLECULAR BIOLOGY: HISTORY

1910 Basis of Modern Genetics

1673 AD Anton Van Leeuwenhoek protozoa
and bacteria, microorganisms fermentation
1865 Gregor Mendel laws of heredity.
Factors genes; invisible internal units of
information accounting for observable traits
passed on from one gen to another
Mendel << Darwin
Thomas Hunt Morgan genes carried on
chromosomes, establishing basis of modern
genetics
Pinpointed location of various fruit fly genes
on chromosomes. Drosphilia fruit flies

Louis Pasteur silkworm disease passed on

from one animal to another

1868 Friedrich Miescher isolated nuclein,

from pus cells of discarded bandages
1870 Walther Flemming mitosis
1871 DNA from sperm of trout in Rhine River
1873-76 Robert Koch anthrax
develop techniques to view, grow, stain
organisms.
Photographed with help of: Gram, Cohn,
Weigart
1884 My tme will come, 41 years work
1900-1953 converging on DNA
1911
-Morgan explained the separation of certain
inherited characteristics that are usually
linked as caused by the breaking of
chromosomes sometimes during the process
of cell division.
-Morgan map position of genes in fruit fly
1912 Lawrencec Bragg x-rays can be used
to study molecular structure of simple
crystalline substances
1918 Herbert Evans humans 48
chromosomes

1900 Mendels work took on importance 1924 Eugenics in the US (Eugenics

Hugo DeVries movement passed)
Erich Von Tschermak immigration act of 1924 limiting influx
Carl Correns of poorly educated immigrants from Southern
and Eastern Europe on groyps of suspected
1902 HUMAN GENETICS genetic inferiority.
Walter Sutton chromosomes = paired =
carriers of heredity 1926 Thomas Morgan: Theory of th Gene
Mendels factors are located on chromosomes

1905 Edmund Wilson, Nellie Stevens X Y

chromosomes = gender

1905-1908 William Bateson and Reginald

Crudell Punnett some genes modify the
action of other genes

1907 Thomas Hunt Morgan work with fruit

flies
later proved chromosomes function in
heredity
Mutation theory -> led to fundamental
undersranding of mechanisms of heredity.
1909 Mendels Laws to Animals
Wilhelm Johannsen Gene -> carrier of
heredity
Genotype (genetic consti) and Phenotype
(actual org., combo of genotpye and envi
factors)
- physical basis for mendelian genetics
based on breeding studies and
optical microscopy
Herman Muller x-rays induced genetic
mutation in fruit flies. 1500x quicker than
normal circumstances
Provided researchers w a way to induce
mutations.
Tool for discovering what genes can do on 1959 Francois Jacob and Jacques Monod
their own genetic regulation
- Mappable control fns located on
1928 Fredrick Griffiths rough type of chrom in DNA seq (repressor and
bacterium changed to a smooth type when
transforming principe from smooth type was
present

1938 proteins &DNA were studied in labs w operon)

xray crystallography
Mol Bio was coined 1962 Watson and Crick shared the Nobel
Prize for Physiology and Medicine with
1941 one gene one enzyme Maurice Wilkins
George Beadle and Edward Tatum
Experimented with Neurospora, mold on Rosalind Franklin works on double helix of
bread DNA died
Each gene is responsbile for directing the
building of a single, 1966 genetic code cracked
spec enzyme. Marshall Nirenberg
1950 Erwin Heinrich Mathaei
Chargaff DNA in Severo Ochoa seq of 3 nucleotide bases
amounts of A&T, (codon) determines each of 20 amino acids
C&G are same
Chargaffs rule 1967 Arthur Kornberg study using one
key principle for strand of natural viral DNA to assemble 5,300
watson and creek assessing models for nucleotide building blocks
structure of DNA - Kornbergs Standford group then
synthesized infectious viral DNA
1953 1976 Expanding the Boundaries of
DNA Research 1970 Oncogenes
Dicovery of DNA explosion of research in Peter Duesberg and Peter Vogt first
mol bio and genetics, biotech revoln oncogenes in a virus
SRC gene from genome of Rous Sarcoma
1953 Nature Magazine: watson and Cricks virus, chicken virus- trigger tumor growth
manuscript describing double helix structure
of DNA 1972 First Recombinant DNA molecule
Paul Berg isolatedand employed a restriction enzyme to
1953 George Otto Gey HeLa human cell line cut DNA.
Henrietta Lacks 1951 cervical cancer - used ligase to paste two DNA strands together = form
Cells growing outside body for extended hybrid circular molec
periods
Used to develop polio vaccine 1973 AMESTEST by Bruce Ames
developed test to identify chemicals that damage DNA;
1957 Central Dogma of DNA how identify carcinogenic subs.
DNA makes protein
Francis Crick and George 1976 oncogenes: J. michael bishop and Harold Varmus
Gamov explain how DNA fxn to oncogenes appear on animal chromosomes
make protein alterations in structure and expressino may result in
cancer growth
1977 Present: Dawn of Biotech; Genetic Engineering1994 first genetically
-> manmade gene was used to manufacture human engineered food, Flvr Savr
protein in a bacteria for the first itme tomato - / fda approval
First cruse but thorough
1988 Philip Leder and Timothy Stewart awared first
linkage map of the human
patent for genetically altered anaimal genome appears
mouse susceptible to breast cancer
1997 Dolly the sheep from cell of adult ewe
1990 first ene therapy Nuclear transfer involves transferring complete genetic
4 yo girl with ADA (immune system disorder adenine
material (DNA in nucleus) from one cell into an
deaminase def) unfertilized egg cell whose own nucleus has been
removed.
1990 human genome project map all of the genes in
the human body 13B 1998 present
Publication of Michael Crichtons Jurassic Park Stem cell manipulation
bioengineered dinos roam a paleotological theme Research
park; teams succeed in growing embryonic stem
deadly results // cells, long sought grail of mol bio

1992 US army collecting blood and tissue samples from

all new recruits as part of a genetic dog tag.
Program aimed at better identification of soldiers killed
in combat

1993 Kary Mullis Nobel Prize Chem inventing tech of

Polymerase chain reaction