Stanford Moore (September 4, 1913 – August 23, 1982) was an American
biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of "biological che ...
. He shared a
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
in 1972, with
Christian B. Anfinsen and
William Howard Stein, for work done at
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York (state), New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medica ...
on the structure of the enzyme
ribonuclease
Ribonuclease (commonly abbreviated RNase) is a type of nuclease that catalyzes the degradation of RNA into smaller components. Ribonucleases can be divided into endoribonucleases and exoribonucleases, and comprise several sub-classes within t ...
and for contributing to the understanding of the connection between the
chemical structure
A chemical structure determination includes a chemist's specifying the molecular geometry and, when feasible and necessary, the electronic structure of the target molecule or other solid. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of a ...
and
catalytic activity of the ribonuclease molecule.
Moore attended
Peabody Demonstration School
University School of Nashville is an independent, coeducational, day school located in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
Referred to colloquially as USN, the school was founded in 1888 by the Peabody Board of Trustees. The school was first founded a ...
, now known as University School of Nashville, and in 1935 graduated
summa cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
from
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
, where he was a member of
Phi Kappa Sigma
Phi Kappa Sigma () is an international all-male college secret society and social fraternity. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are Skulls, Skullhouse, Phi Kap, and PKS (the firs ...
. He earned his doctorate in Organic Chemistry from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
in 1938. Moore then joined the staff of the Rockefeller Institute, later Rockefeller University, where he spent his entire professional career, with the exception of a period of government service during World War II. He became Professor of Biochemistry in 1952.
In 1958, he and
William H. Stein developed the first automated amino acid analyzer, which facilitated the determination of
protein sequence
Protein primary structure is the linear sequence of amino acids in a peptide or protein. By convention, the primary structure of a protein is reported starting from the amino-terminal (N) end to the carboxyl-terminal (C) end. Protein biosynthesi ...
s. In 1959, Moore and Stein announced the first determination of the complete amino acid sequence of an enzyme, ribonuclease, work which was cited in the Nobel award.
References
*
*
External links
*
* including the Nobel Lecture, December 11, 1972 ''The Chemical Structures of Pancreatic Ribonuclease and Deoxyribonuclease''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Standford
1913 births
1982 deaths
American biochemists
American Nobel laureates
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Nobel laureates in Chemistry
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
Vanderbilt University alumni
Rockefeller University faculty