[
Trends in Biochemical Sciences,
1999]
Stromatin, also known as band 7.2b protein, is one of the major integral membrane proteins of human erythrocytes. This protein is apparently absent in the red cell membranes of patients suffering form overhydrated hereditary stomatocytosis, a form of autosomal dominant hemolytic anemia. Although he protein is missing, no mutations have been found within the stomatin gene in patients with this condition. However, an aberrant splice mutation associated with multi-system pathology early in life suggests that the protein is crucial for development (A. Argent, J. Delaunay and G. Stewart, pers. commun.). the genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans encodes nine stomatin-related genes, three of which have been genetically characterized. MEC-2 is a protein expressed predominantly in six touch-receptor neurons and plays an essential role in mechanotransduction, whereas UNC-24 is required for normal locomotion. UNC-1 also affects locomotion and is required for normal responsiveness to volatile anesthetics.
[
Studies of History & Philosophy of Science,
1998]
In 1963, just a year after the researchers of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, joined by some other research groups, has moved from various scattered and makeshift buildings in the courtyard of the Physics Department to a lavishly funded four-storey laboratory, B. Lush, the Principal Medical Officer of the MRC, came to inquire about their plans for future expansion. He indicated that the MRC wished to build the laboratory up to what the principal researchers considered its 'final size' until their retirement, which meant planning ahead for at least 15 years. This surprising move was doubtless prompted by the recent award of the Nobel Prize to three members of the laboratory, Max Perutz, John Kendrew and Francis Crick, for their work on the molecular structure of proteins and nucleic acids. The triple award had propelled the new Laboratory of Molecular Biology into the limelight, and the MRC was interested in securing optimal research conditions for this prestigious group of researchers.