Ray Rappaport
Encyclopedia
Ray Rappaport was an American cell biologist. He did pioneering research using physical manipulations of cells to understand the mechanisms of cytokinesis
, the process by which a cell's cytoplasm is divided in two.
Raymond Rappaport was born in May 1922 in North Bergen, New Jersey, to Raymond and Verna Karper Rappaport. He attended Bethany College in West Virginia. His studies were interrupted by service during World War II in the 5th Service Command, Anti-Aircraft and then in the Army Medical Corps. He finished his undergraduate work at Columbia University
, and enrolled in a masters program in Zoology at the University of Michigan
. In a soil microbiology course, he met fellow masters student Barbara Nolan, and the two were wed in 1947. He earned his masters degree in 1948, and a PhD from Yale University
in 1952.
Rappaport began his career as a professor at Union College
in Schenectady, New York in 1952. He taught for 35 years and conducted research at the college and for most summers at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory
(MDIBL) in Salisbury Cove, Maine. Rappaport held several administrative positions at MDIBL including director (1956–1959), trustee, and president of the corporation (1979–1981). Rappaport also designed some of the buildings at the laboratory. He and his wife retired to Maine in 1987, where he continued research year-round at MDIBL.
Most of Rappaport's research made use of echinoderm
embryonic cells to address the mechanisms of cytokinesis
in animal cells, experiments that focused on understanding how the cytokinetic furrow is positioned, and understanding the nature of the stimulus from the mitotic spindle
that induced cortical furrowing. With few exceptions, his research was conducted alone or with his wife. Rappaport's research was marked by unusually creative and simple experimental design, often involving physical manipulation of individual cells, for which he devised a number of custom microsurgical tools.
Rappaport died December 14, 2010 in Bar Harbor, Maine
at the age of 88.
in 1983. A laboratory building at MDIBL is named after him.
Cytokinesis
Cytokinesis is the process in which the cytoplasm of a single eukaryotic cell is divided to form two daughter cells. It usually initiates during the late stages of mitosis, and sometimes meiosis, splitting a binucleate cell in two, to ensure that chromosome number is maintained from one generation...
, the process by which a cell's cytoplasm is divided in two.
Raymond Rappaport was born in May 1922 in North Bergen, New Jersey, to Raymond and Verna Karper Rappaport. He attended Bethany College in West Virginia. His studies were interrupted by service during World War II in the 5th Service Command, Anti-Aircraft and then in the Army Medical Corps. He finished his undergraduate work at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and enrolled in a masters program in Zoology at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. In a soil microbiology course, he met fellow masters student Barbara Nolan, and the two were wed in 1947. He earned his masters degree in 1948, and a PhD from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1952.
Rappaport began his career as a professor at Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
in Schenectady, New York in 1952. He taught for 35 years and conducted research at the college and for most summers at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory is a private, nonprofit biological research and education institution located in Salisbury Cove, Maine on Mount Desert Island, founded in 1989...
(MDIBL) in Salisbury Cove, Maine. Rappaport held several administrative positions at MDIBL including director (1956–1959), trustee, and president of the corporation (1979–1981). Rappaport also designed some of the buildings at the laboratory. He and his wife retired to Maine in 1987, where he continued research year-round at MDIBL.
Most of Rappaport's research made use of echinoderm
Echinoderm
Echinoderms are a phylum of marine animals. Echinoderms are found at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone....
embryonic cells to address the mechanisms of cytokinesis
Cytokinesis
Cytokinesis is the process in which the cytoplasm of a single eukaryotic cell is divided to form two daughter cells. It usually initiates during the late stages of mitosis, and sometimes meiosis, splitting a binucleate cell in two, to ensure that chromosome number is maintained from one generation...
in animal cells, experiments that focused on understanding how the cytokinetic furrow is positioned, and understanding the nature of the stimulus from the mitotic spindle
Mitotic spindle
In cell biology, the spindle fibers are the structure that separates the chromosomes into the daughter cells during cell division. It is part of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells...
that induced cortical furrowing. With few exceptions, his research was conducted alone or with his wife. Rappaport's research was marked by unusually creative and simple experimental design, often involving physical manipulation of individual cells, for which he devised a number of custom microsurgical tools.
Rappaport died December 14, 2010 in Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
at the age of 88.
Honors and awards
Rappaport was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
in 1983. A laboratory building at MDIBL is named after him.
Further reading
- Ray Rappaport Chronology: Twenty-Five Years of Seminal Papers on Cytokinesis in the Journal of Experimental Zoology, by Thomas D. Pollard, Journal of Experimental Zoology 301A:9-14 (2004). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jez.a.20000/abstract
- Cytokinesis in Animal Cells, by R. Rappaport (1996), Cambridge University Press.