From phage to chromosome biology: a personal account.

A personal account from phage morphogenesis to chromosome biology is described in this review.     

The identification of the Photosystem II reaction center: a personal story

This minireview is about the path that led me to the identification of the Photosystem II reaction center in oxygenic photosynthesis. It is based mostly on my own experiences and viewpoints. Thus, the article is essentially a personal account, and does not include all contributions that led to the identification of this functional unit of Photosystem II. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Transition from academia to industry: a personal account

A career in industry has become a widely accepted alternative for those of us trained in medicine and/or science who have traditionally focused on careers in academia. Like any career decision, consideration of a position in industry should include asking yourself a series of fundamental questions. A few of the key questions should include: 1) What kind of work environment do you find most enjoyable? (e.g., patient care setting, basic research lab, team-oriented setting); 2) What are you focused on accomplishing in your career? (basic research discoveries, contributions to clinical medicine, compensation); 3) Are you team oriented in your interactions or are you more of an individual contributor? A successful career in any endeavor, including industry, starts with a careful and honest examination of what you are best suited for and inspired to do.     

Academic genealogy and direct calorimetry: a personal account

Each of us as a scientist has an academic legacy that consists of our mentors and their mentors continuing back for many generations. Here, I describe two genealogies of my own: one through my PhD advisor, H. T. (Ted) Hammel, and the other through my postdoctoral mentor, Knut Schmidt-Nielsen. Each of these pathways includes distingished scientists who were all major figures in their day. The striking aspect, however, is that of the 14 individuals discussed, including myself, 10 individuals used the technique of direct calorimetry to study metabolic heat production in humans or other animals. Indeed, the patriarchs of my PhD genealogy, Antoine Lavoisier and Pierre Simon Laplace, were the inventors of this technique and the first to use it in animal studies. Brief summaries of the major accomplishments of each my scientific ancestors are given followed by a discussion of the variety of calorimeters and the scientific studies in which they were used. Finally, readers are encouraged to explore their own academic legacies as a way of honoring those who prepared the way for us.     

The early history of the genetics of photosynthetic bacteria: a personal account

The development of genetics as a tool for the study of photosynthesis is recounted, beginning in the period when no genetic exchange mechanism was known for any photosynthetic microorganism, and ending with the sequencing of the key genes for photosynthesis. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The discovery and function of plastocyanin: A personal account

A brief autobiographical account is presented of the early research that led to the discovery of the copper protein plastocyanin and the identification of its function as an electron carrier in plant photosynthesis. A discussion follows of different approaches employed for the determination of the functional site of plastocyanin in relation to cytochrome f. A summary is provided of a heated controversy about the involvement of two or three light reactions in photosynthesis and an experiment is described that has contributed to resolution of the controversy through the identification of the functional site of plastocyanin. An early history of photosynthesis research in Japan is also discussed.Abbreviation DCIP 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol Invited and edited by Govindjee.     

Following the path of carbon in photosynthesis: a personal story

Chronological recognition of the intermediates and mechanisms involved in photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation is delineated. Sam Ruben and Martin Kamen's development of application of radioactive carbon for the study of carbon dioxide fixation provided impetus and techniques for following the path of carbon in photosynthesis. Discovery The identity of the primary carboxylation enzyme and its identity with the major protein of photosynthetic tissues (`Fraction 1' protein of Sam Wildman) is reviewed. Memories are dimmed by sixty years of exciting discoveries exploration in newer fields [see Benson 2002 (Annu Rev Plant Biol 53: 1–25), for research and perspectives beyond the early Berkeley days]. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.