Stefan Kopec
Encyclopedia
Stefan Kopeć was a Polish
biologist
and pioneer of insect endocrinology, who studied at the Jagiellonian University
in Kraków
. He received his PhD. there in 1912, and worked at Puławy Agricultural Research Station in Poland between 1915 and 1920. In 1929 he was made Director of the Institute.
Between 1908 and 1927, Kopec published at least 17 papers, in Polish, English and German, on insect endocrinology in various professional journals.
Kopec helped determine the role of the insect brain in hormone production. He was the earliest researcher to understand the importance of the insect brain, as is demonstrated by his statement in a 1917 paper:
Kopec's most significant contribution was his study of neurosecretory
cells in the brains of insects which secrete a crucial growth hormone
, prothoracicotropic hormone
(PTTH), which regulates the process of metamorphosis.
Kopec was arrested by the Gestapo
in 1940 together with his daughter Maria and son Stanislaw in an action against the Polish underground university. He was imprisoned at the Pawiak
Prison in Warsaw
and executed by the Germans in 1941 at Palmiry
, near Warsaw, together with his son as a reprisal against an action of the Polish underground army, as a part of the German AB-Aktion in Poland.
The University of Wrocław named its annual International Conference on Arthropods the Stefan Kopeć Memorial Conference in Kopec's honor.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
and pioneer of insect endocrinology, who studied at the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. He received his PhD. there in 1912, and worked at Puławy Agricultural Research Station in Poland between 1915 and 1920. In 1929 he was made Director of the Institute.
Between 1908 and 1927, Kopec published at least 17 papers, in Polish, English and German, on insect endocrinology in various professional journals.
Kopec helped determine the role of the insect brain in hormone production. He was the earliest researcher to understand the importance of the insect brain, as is demonstrated by his statement in a 1917 paper:
"For the normal process of metamorphosis the presence of the brain, at least up to a certain moment, is indispensable..."
Kopec's most significant contribution was his study of neurosecretory
Neurosecretion
Neurosecretion is the synthesis and release of hormones from neurons. These hormones are normally secreted from nerve cells in the brain that then circulate into the blood. These neurohormones are similar to nonneural endocrine cells and glands in that they also regulate both endocrine and...
cells in the brains of insects which secrete a crucial growth hormone
Growth hormone
Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior...
, prothoracicotropic hormone
Prothoracicotropic hormone
Prothoracicotropic hormone was the first insect hormone that was discovered. It was originally described simply as "brain hormone" by early workers such as Stefan Kopeć and Vincent Wigglesworth , who realized that ligation of the head of immature insects could prevent molting or pupation of the...
(PTTH), which regulates the process of metamorphosis.
Kopec was arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
in 1940 together with his daughter Maria and son Stanislaw in an action against the Polish underground university. He was imprisoned at the Pawiak
Pawiak
Pawiak was a prison built in 1835 in Warsaw, Poland.During the January 1863 Uprising, it served as a transfer camp for Poles sentenced by Imperial Russia to deportation to Siberia....
Prison in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and executed by the Germans in 1941 at Palmiry
Palmiry
Palmiry During World War II, between 1939 and 1943, the village and the surrounding forest was one of the sites of German mass executions of Jews, Polish intelligentsia, politicians and athletes, killed during the AB Action. Most of the victims were first arrested and tortured in the Pawiak prison...
, near Warsaw, together with his son as a reprisal against an action of the Polish underground army, as a part of the German AB-Aktion in Poland.
The University of Wrocław named its annual International Conference on Arthropods the Stefan Kopeć Memorial Conference in Kopec's honor.