Masters was born in Lexington, Virginia, where her father was a radio announcer and a singer. As a child she was an avid reader of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson whose analytical skills she admired.[2] She became interested in chemistry during her sophomore year in high school, and placed high enough in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search to receive a scholarship for college. After the College of William & Mary would not accept the scholarship because she was a woman, she went on to attend Roanoke College, thereby becoming a first-generation college student.[2] She graduated from Roanoke College in 1959 with a B.S. in chemistry.[3] In 1963, she earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Duke University.[4]
Career
Following her Ph.D. work, she conducted postdoctoral research first with fellowship support from the American Cancer Society and then with grant support from the American Heart Association.[3][2] In 1968, she moved to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School where she established her independent laboratory and advanced through the ranks to Full Professor.[3][5] In 1982, she moved to the Medical College of Wisconsin to accept the position as chair of the department of biochemistry, thereby becoming the first woman to hold this position at that institution.[3] In 1990, she moved to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio where she was named as the first Robert A. Welch Distinguished Professor in Chemistry.[3] Upon retirement after half a century of research, she became an adjunct professor at Duke University in the department of biochemistry to continue her career as a teacher of graduate students.[5]
Research
Masters is recognized for her work on the structure and function of enzymes. As a graduate student she characterized the kinetics and mechanism NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase).[6][7] She went on to develop methods to purify enzymes, such as cytochrome P450 reductase and the three isoforms of nitric oxide synthase, which allows investigation into their biochemical properties[8] and identification of the active sites of the proteins through x-ray crystallography.[9] Concerning nitric oxide synthase, she examined the atomic structure of the endothelial isoenzyme, the zinc bound within the protein, and the co-factors required (heme and tetrahydrobiopterin).[10][11]
Masters has received numerous honors and awards. Roanoke College, her alma mater, awarded her the Roanoke College Medal for her distinguished service to her community and her profession.[3] In 1983, she received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Roanoke College.[3]
Bettie Sue Masters was married to Robert Sherman Masters for 53 years before his death in 2013. They had two daughters, Diane Elizabeth Masters and Deborah Masters Camitta, who presented them with three grandchildren.
↑Masters, Bettie Sue Siler (1963). The mechanism of hepatic microsomal triphosphopyridine nucleotide-cytochrome c reductase ... (Thesis). OCLC21574619.
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