Richard Henderson (molecular biologist)
Encyclopedia
Richard Henderson FRS (born 1945) is a Scottish molecular biologist and pioneer in the field of electron microscopy of biological molecules.
, Henderson studied the structure of the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) by electron microscopy. A seminal paper in Nature
by Henderson and Unwin (1975) established a low resolution structural model for bR showing the protein to consist of 7 transmembrane helices. This paper was important for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that it showed that membrane proteins had well defined structures and that transmembrane alpha-helices could occur. After 1975 Henderson worked without Unwin on the structure of bR.
In 1990 Henderson published an atomic model of bR by electron crystallography in the Journal of Molecular Biology
. This model was the second ever atomic model of a membrane protein. The techniques Henderson developed for electron crystallography are still in use. More recently, Dr. Henderson has devoted his attention to single particle electron microscopy: he was an early proponent of the idea that single particle EM is capable of determining atomic resolution models for proteins, explained in a 1995 paper in Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics. Currently, cryo-EM of single particles seems poised to achieve this goal.
and Edinburgh University (B.Sc. Hons in Physics, 1st Class). He completed his PhD research under the supervision of David Blow at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology and received the degree from Cambridge University in 1969. He has worked at the Medical Research Council
's Laboratory of Molecular Biology
(MRC LMB) in Cambridge
since 1973, and was its director between 1996 and 2006.
(1991), the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine
(1993), and the Gregori Aminoff prize
(together with Nigel Unwin
, 1999).
Career
Starting in 1975 with Nigel UnwinNigel Unwin
Nigel Peter Nigel Tripp Unwin FRS is a British neuroscientist, Emeritus Scientist, and was Joint Head of Neurobiology Division, Laboratory of Molecular Biology from 2003 until 2008.-Life:...
, Henderson studied the structure of the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) by electron microscopy. A seminal paper in Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
by Henderson and Unwin (1975) established a low resolution structural model for bR showing the protein to consist of 7 transmembrane helices. This paper was important for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that it showed that membrane proteins had well defined structures and that transmembrane alpha-helices could occur. After 1975 Henderson worked without Unwin on the structure of bR.
In 1990 Henderson published an atomic model of bR by electron crystallography in the Journal of Molecular Biology
Journal of Molecular Biology
The Journal of Molecular Biology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published weekly by Elsevier. It covers original scientific research concerning studies of organisms or their components at the molecular level.- Notable articles :...
. This model was the second ever atomic model of a membrane protein. The techniques Henderson developed for electron crystallography are still in use. More recently, Dr. Henderson has devoted his attention to single particle electron microscopy: he was an early proponent of the idea that single particle EM is capable of determining atomic resolution models for proteins, explained in a 1995 paper in Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics. Currently, cryo-EM of single particles seems poised to achieve this goal.
Life
Henderson was educated at Boroughmuir High SchoolBoroughmuir High School
Boroughmuir High School is a non-denominational secondary school in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1904, and moved to its current site near the city centre in 1913. Its catchment area is in the south side of the city...
and Edinburgh University (B.Sc. Hons in Physics, 1st Class). He completed his PhD research under the supervision of David Blow at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology and received the degree from Cambridge University in 1969. He has worked at the Medical Research Council
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
's Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
The Laboratory of Molecular Biology is a research institute in Cambridge, England, which was at the forefront of the revolution in molecular biology which occurred in the 1950–60s, since then it remains a major medical research laboratory with a much broader focus.-Early beginnings: 1947-61:Max...
(MRC LMB) in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
since 1973, and was its director between 1996 and 2006.
Awards
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1983, and has been awarded the William Bate Hardy Prize (1978), the Ernst-Ruska Prize for Electron Microscopy (1981), the Lewis S. Rosenstiel AwardRosenstiel Award
In 1971, the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Research was established as an expression of the conviction that educational institutions have an important role to play in the encouragement and development of basic science as it applies to medicine.Medals are...
(1991), the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine
Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine
The Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine is awarded annually by the Louis-Jeantet Foundation to biomedical researchers in Europe; the awards are made each April...
(1993), and the Gregori Aminoff prize
Gregori Aminoff Prize
The Gregori Aminoff Prize is an international prize awarded since 1979 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in the field of crystallography, rewarding "a documented, individual contribution in the field of crystallography, including areas concerned with the dynamics of the formation and...
(together with Nigel Unwin
Nigel Unwin
Nigel Peter Nigel Tripp Unwin FRS is a British neuroscientist, Emeritus Scientist, and was Joint Head of Neurobiology Division, Laboratory of Molecular Biology from 2003 until 2008.-Life:...
, 1999).