PII: S0301-4622 Ž02.00194-1 John Schellman and his scientific work

• Main Author: Robert L. Baldwin
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2002
• Subjects: Corey; Pauling; Sperm whale
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.663.1283; http://rbaldwin.stanford.edu/PDFs/john_schellman.pdf

ing the stability of the a-helix in aqueous solution w1x. Four years earlier Pauling and Corey had pro-posed that the a-helix should be a major structural unit in proteins, but no one had yet seen an a-helix. Only in 1958, when Kendrew and co-workers determined the structure of the first protein (sperm whale myoglobin) at 0.6 nm resolution, could a-helices begin to be seen. So John’s paper was on the cutting edge, to put it mildly. His was also the first modern paper on the energetics of protein folding: Kauzmann’s landmark paper on the ener-getic importance of burying non-polar side chains in the interior of proteins appeared 4 years later in 1959. John’s classic paper was only part of the post-doctoral work he accomplished at the Carlsberg Laboratory from 1953–1955. It was a glorious time both for John personally and for Linderstrøm-Lang and the group of visitors to the Carlsberg Laboratory. Many notable figures in protein chem-istry came to the Carlsberg in the 1950’s, including