A brief history of macromolecular crystallography, illustrated by a family tree and its Nobel fruits.
As a contribution to the celebration of the year 2014, declared by the United Nations to be 'The International Year of Crystallography', the FEBS Journal is dedicating this issue to papers showcasing the intimate union between macromolecular crystallography and structural biology, both in historical perspective and in current research. Instead of a formal editorial piece, by way of introduction, this review discusses the most important, often iconic, achievements of crystallographers that led to major advances in our understanding of the structure and function of biological macromolecules. We identified at least 42 scientists who received Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry or Medicine for their contributions that included the use of X-rays or neutrons and crystallography, including 24 who made seminal discoveries in macromolecular sciences. Our spotlight is mostly, but not only, on the recipients of this most prestigious scientific honor, presented in approximately chronological order. As a summary of the review, we attempt to construct a genealogy tree of the principal lineages of protein crystallography, leading from the founding members to the present generation.
Department of Crystallography, Faculty of Chemistry, A. Mickiewicz University and Center for Biocrystallographic Research, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Mariusz
M
Jaskolski
Zbigniew
Z
Dauter
Alexander
A
Wlodawer
D000818:Animals; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000737:chemistry; D014771:Virion / Q000648:ultrastructure
D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008565:Membrane Proteins
history of crystallography; macromolecular crystallography; nobel prizes; structural biology; structural crystallography