Barbara McClintock
Biologist · 1902-1992 · Biology, stage 3: Meet the biologists
Discovered that genetic elements move within the genome and switch other genes on and off.
Overview
McClintock worked on maize cytogenetics, tracking chromosomes under the microscope and matching what she saw to the colour patterns of kernels. In the 1940s she found elements that change position in the genome and, in doing so, alter whether nearby genes are expressed, which meant the genome was neither fixed in arrangement nor a passive list of instructions. The result was reported in 1950 and largely set aside for two decades, until transposable elements were found in bacteria and then everywhere else; she received the Nobel Prize in 1983. Her papers are technical, so start with the Nobel presentation material and a modern account of transposons, then read the 1950 paper for the reasoning.
Where to start reading
The Origin and Behavior of Mutable Loci in Maize 1950
The paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reporting elements that move within the genome and control the expression of neighbouring genes.
Part of
Sources
- Barbara McClintock Wikipedia
- Barbara McClintock The Nobel Prize
- Transposable element Wikipedia
