Douglas Prasher

Last updated
Douglas C. Prasher
BornAugust 1951
Nationality American
Alma mater Ohio State University
Scientific career
Fields Molecular biology

Douglas C. Prasher (born August 1951) is an American molecular biologist. He is known for his work to clone and sequence the genes for the photoprotein aequorin [1] and green fluorescent protein (GFP) [2] and for his proposal to use GFP as a tracer molecule. [3] He communicated his pioneering work to Martin Chalfie and Roger Y. Tsien, but by 1991 he was unable to obtain further research funding, and left academia. Eventually, he had to abandon science. Chalfie and Tsien were awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work that they publicly acknowledged was substantially based on Prasher's work; through their efforts and those of others, he returned to scientific research in June 2010.

Contents

Career

Prasher received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Ohio State University in 1979. From 1979 to 1983, he worked in genetics and biochemistry research at the University of Georgia, where he identified the gene sequence for aequorin. [1] [4] He then joined the Biology Department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts where he studied bioluminescence. In 1988, he received a two-year, $200,000 grant from the American Cancer Society to clone the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP), the protein that gives the jellyfish its glow. Prasher succeeded in this project, and later shared his findings with Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien after each scientist had communicated with him. [5] [6]

Reports that Prasher had difficulty in achieving fluorescence of GFP in other species in recombinant studies [7] are inaccurate, as Prasher had successfully worked with the Chalfie group to show recombinant expression in the bacterium E. coli and the nematode C. elegans , [8] and later in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana . [9] By the time Prasher's ACS funding ended, he had isolated a partial, but almost complete gfp cDNA, with 965 bases out of the 1,050 bases of the corresponding mRNA. [2] It would require construction of another cDNA library during the following (non-funded) year for Prasher to isolate a full-length cDNA clone, although this partial cDNA clone was subsequently used and found to be sufficient for successful heterologous expression in E. coli, C. elegans [8] and A. thaliana. [9] By this time, Prasher could not afford to devote limited resources to expression studies in E. coli. [10] It wasn't until the Nobel Prize announcement that it became clear how unfortunate this had been. Chalfie and Tsien went on to their successful expression studies. GFP has subsequently found application as a biochemical tracer in areas such as fluorescent studies of gene expression.

Prasher had applied to the National Institutes of Health for funding but had been turned down, and by the time he was undergoing review for promotion from assistant to untenured associate, he had decided to leave academia.[ citation needed ] Subsequently, Prasher worked for the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture at its Otis Plant Protection Center in Cape Cod, Massachusetts as a population geneticist, and was later transferred to the Plant Germplasm Quarantine & Biotechnology Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. After a mild heart attack, he went to work for NASA subcontractor AZ Technology in Huntsville, Alabama, working on an existing project to develop hand-held devices to monitor cabin environment and to perform human diagnostics during long-term spaceflight. [11] A year and a half later, he lost his job when NASA reorganized and canceled the project. [11] [12]

On 8 October 2008, the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Osamu Shimomura, Chalfie, and Tsien for their work on GFP. [13] Prasher was not included among the Nobel laureates, as only three individuals can share in a single Nobel Prize. Chalfie said of Prasher's contribution: "(Prasher's) work was critical and essential for the work we did in our lab. They could've easily given the prize to Douglas and the other two and left me out." [14] Tsien also agreed that they couldn't have done it without Prasher and "Doug Prasher had a very important role." [15]

In an October 9, 2008 phone interview with National Public Radio (NPR) and October 14, 2008 TV interview with Inside Edition , Prasher reported that he was unable to find a job in science, his life savings had run out, and he was working as a courtesy shuttle bus driver for a Toyota dealership in Huntsville at $8.50 an hour. [6] [11] [14] [15] [16] In the NPR broadcast, one of his former colleagues called Prasher's current situation a "staggering waste of talent". [6] Prasher stated his wish to resume a career in science but not particularly with jellyfish. [12] He also expressed his pleasure at learning of the Nobel Prize awarded to Shimomura, Chalfie, and Tsien: "I'm really happy for them. I was really surprised that particular topic carried that much weight." [12]

Chalfie and Tsien invited Prasher and his wife, Virginia Eckenrode, to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony, as their guests and at their expense. [17] All three of the 2008 Chemistry laureates thanked Prasher in their speeches. [18]

In June 2010, Prasher was finally able to return to science, working for Streamline Automation in Huntsville until December 2011, and then from 2012 to 2015 in Tsien's lab at the University of California in San Diego. [19] [20]

Publications

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 Prasher, D C; R O McCann; M Longiaru; M J Cormier (1987-03-10). "Sequence comparisons of complementary DNAs encoding aequorin isotypes". Biochemistry. 26 (5): 1326–1332. doi:10.1021/bi00379a019. ISSN   0006-2960. PMID   2882777.
  2. 1 2 Prasher, D C; V K Eckenrode; W W Ward; F G Prendergast; M J Cormier (1992-02-15). "Primary structure of the Aequorea victoria green-fluorescent protein". Gene. 111 (2): 229–233. doi:10.1016/0378-1119(92)90691-H. ISSN   0378-1119. PMID   1347277.
  3. ↑ Prasher, D C (August 1995). "Using GFP to see the light". Trends in Genetics. 11 (8): 320–323. doi:10.1016/s0168-9525(00)89090-3. ISSN   0168-9525. PMID   8585130.
  4. ↑ Herper, Matthew (2008-10-08). "Biotech's Glowing Breakthrough Wins Nobel Prize". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  5. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (2008-10-09). "Three Chemists Win Nobel Prize". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  6. 1 2 3 Charles, Dan (2008-10-09). "Glowing Gene's Discoverer Left Out Of Nobel Prize". Morning Edition (National Public Radio [NPR]). Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  7. ↑ Saey, Tina Hesman (2008-10-25). "Nobel Prize in Chemistry Commends Finding and Use of Green Fluorescent Protein". Science News . Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  8. 1 2 Chalfie, M; Y Tu; G Euskirchen; W W Ward; D C Prasher (1994-02-11). "Green fluorescent protein as a marker for gene expression". Science. 263 (5148): 802–805. doi:10.1126/science.8303295. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   8303295.
  9. 1 2 Haseloff, J; K R Siemering; D C Prasher; S Hodge (1997-03-18). "Removal of a cryptic intron and subcellular localization of green fluorescent protein are required to mark transgenic Arabidopsis plants brightly". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 94 (6): 2122–2127. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.6.2122 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   20051 . PMID   9122158.
  10. ↑ Chalfie, Martin; Tu, Yuan; Euskirchen, Ghia; Ward, William W.; Prasher, Douglas C. (1994-02-11). "Green Fluorescent Protein as a Marker for Gene Expression" . Science. 263 (5148): 802–805. doi:10.1126/science.8303295. ISSN   0036-8075.
  11. 1 2 3 "Van driver's work in Mass. aided Nobel winners". Boston Globe. 2008-10-11. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
  12. 1 2 3 Doyle, Steve (2008-10-10). "Local biochemist had hand in Nobel". Huntsville Times. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  13. ↑ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2008" (Press release). Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  14. 1 2 Gouveia, Aaron (2008-10-11). "Shuttle driver reflects on Nobel snub". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  15. 1 2 Moret, Jim (2008-10-14). "Genius Behind the Wheel - Why is a genius scientist driving a bus?". Inside Edition . Archived from the original on 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
  16. ↑ Sherwell, Philip (2008-10-11). "The scientist, the jellyfish protein, and the Nobel prize that got away". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  17. ↑ Doyle, Steve (2008-12-04). "Van driver to attend Nobel ceremony". Huntsville Times. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  18. ↑ Roop, Lee (2008-12-18). "'Magical' Nobel trip could lead to new opportunities". Huntsville Times. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  19. ↑ Tsien Lab Staff
  20. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (4 September 2016). "Roger Y. Tsien, Nobel Winner for Use of Glowing Proteins, Dies at 64". New York Times. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
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