Hsien Wu (24 November 1893 - 8 August 1959) was an early protein scientist who was the first to propose that protein denaturation was a purely conformational change, i.e., corresponded to protein unfolding and not to some chemical alteration of the protein.[1] This crucial idea was popularized later by Linus Pauling and Alfred Mirsky.[2]
Wu's son, Ray J. Wu, became a well-respected professor at Cornell University, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Molecular Genetics and Biology, and has been active in studying transgenic plants, particularly rice.
References
^ Wu, H (1931). "Studies on Denaturation of Proteins. XIII. A Theory of Denaturation". Chinese Journal of Physiology5: 321–344. Preliminary reports were presented before the XIIIth International Congress of Physiology at Boston (19-24 August 1929) and in the October 1929 issue of the American Journal of Physiology.
^Mirsky, AE; Pauling L (1936). "On the Structure of Native, Denatured, and Coagulated Proteins". Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA22: 439–447. doi:10.1073/pnas.22.7.439.
Further reading
Edsall, JT (1995). "Hsien Wu and the First Theory of Protein Denaturation". Advances in Protein Chemistry46: 1–5.
