Ptashne, Mark
Person
Biography
Mark Ptashne, born in Chicago on June 5, 1940, is a molecular biologist who has focused on gene regulation throughout his career. He earned his undergraduate degree at Reed College in Portland, Oregon in 1961 and his PhD from Harvard in 1968, afterwards joining the Harvard faculty. In 1971, he was made a professor. In 1980 he became the Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and in 1993 he was awarded an endowed chair. He left Harvard in 1997 for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where he is currently the Ludwig Chair of Molecular Biology.
Ptashne’s work has been the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of the lytic and lysogenic life cycles of bacteriophage lambda. He was the first scientist to demonstrate bindings between protein and DNA, and is the originator of the “ball and stick” model of transcription factor functions. This demonstrates how bacteria and yeast typically consist of regions that mediate DNA binding and interaction with transcriptional activators or repressors.
In addition to his scientific work with bacteriophage lambda and gene regulation, Ptashne also co-founded Genetics Institute, Inc. with Thomas Maniatis, at the time considered a controversial move by a Harvard scientist.
He holds multiple awards for his work, including the 1985 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University, the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1997, and the Massry Prize from the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California in 1998. He has written multiple books, including “Gene and Signals” and “A Genetic Switch.”
Found in 55 Collections and/or Records:
Correspondence 1986, 1986
File — Box 41, Folder: 2
Identifier: WAG_b41_f02_001
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The CORRESPONDENCE series is divided into two sets, one from each accession. The first contains a small amount of letters and related material covering the period of 1954-2000 which were found unorganized in the first accession of material (Box 13). The bulk of this material relates to his time at Cambridge University (1954-1957), and includes correspondence with the National Science Foundation (regarding his fellowship), administrative material (including his admission letter), scientific...
Dates:
1986
Faxed letter from Sydney Brenner to Mark Ptashne, 4/1/1991
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_16
Abstract
Includes enclosure of: The Operon Paradigm and Its Limitations
Dates:
4/1/1991
Handwritten letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner, 20/06/1974
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_31
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Correspondence series consists of incoming and outgoing handwritten and typed letters, carbons, postcards, faxes, and telegrams generated during Sydney Brenner's career. The bulk of this series covers the late 1940s to the 2000s. Correspondents include over 30 Nobel laureates, as well as biochemists, geneticists, students, publishers, and others. Highlights of the collection include the correspondence from Francis Crick, with whom Brenner shared an office for 20 years. Topics covered...
Dates:
20/06/1974
Handwritten letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #1, 3/12/1974
Item — Box CP06, Folder: 33
Identifier: SB_1_1_256_10
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Correspondence series consists of incoming and outgoing handwritten and typed letters, carbons, postcards, faxes, and telegrams generated during Sydney Brenner's career. The bulk of this series covers the late 1940s to the 2000s. Correspondents include over 30 Nobel laureates, as well as biochemists, geneticists, students, publishers, and others. Highlights of the collection include the correspondence from Francis Crick, with whom Brenner shared an office for 20 years. Topics covered...
Dates:
3/12/1974
Found in:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Archives
/
Sydney Brenner Collection
/
Record Group I
/
Series I: Correspondence (SB/1)
/
Sub-Series I: Correspondence - Personal (SB/1/1)
/
Harvard University - Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Includes Konrad Bloch, Paul Doty, Matt Meselson, and Mark Ptashne)
Handwritten letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #2, 8/11/1974
Item — Box CP06, Folder: 33
Identifier: SB_1_1_256_14
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Correspondence series consists of incoming and outgoing handwritten and typed letters, carbons, postcards, faxes, and telegrams generated during Sydney Brenner's career. The bulk of this series covers the late 1940s to the 2000s. Correspondents include over 30 Nobel laureates, as well as biochemists, geneticists, students, publishers, and others. Highlights of the collection include the correspondence from Francis Crick, with whom Brenner shared an office for 20 years. Topics covered...
Dates:
8/11/1974
Found in:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Archives
/
Sydney Brenner Collection
/
Record Group I
/
Series I: Correspondence (SB/1)
/
Sub-Series I: Correspondence - Personal (SB/1/1)
/
Harvard University - Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Includes Konrad Bloch, Paul Doty, Matt Meselson, and Mark Ptashne)
Harvard University - Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Includes Konrad Bloch, Paul Doty, Matt Meselson, and Mark Ptashne), 1974-1975
File — Box CP06, Folder: 33
Identifier: SB_1_1_256
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Correspondence series consists of incoming and outgoing handwritten and typed letters, carbons, postcards, faxes, and telegrams generated during Sydney Brenner's career. The bulk of this series covers the late 1940s to the 2000s. Correspondents include over 30 Nobel laureates, as well as biochemists, geneticists, students, publishers, and others. Highlights of the collection include the correspondence from Francis Crick, with whom Brenner shared an office for 20 years. Topics covered...
Dates:
1974-1975
Letter from A. Donoughue, Sydney Brenner's Secretary, to Graciela Salerno, 19/02/1987
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_14
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Correspondence series consists of incoming and outgoing handwritten and typed letters, carbons, postcards, faxes, and telegrams generated during Sydney Brenner's career. The bulk of this series covers the late 1940s to the 2000s. Correspondents include over 30 Nobel laureates, as well as biochemists, geneticists, students, publishers, and others. Highlights of the collection include the correspondence from Francis Crick, with whom Brenner shared an office for 20 years. Topics covered...
Dates:
19/02/1987
Letter from Ira Herskowitz to Sydney Brenner #3, 26/10/1979
Item — Box CP07, Folder: 2
Identifier: SB_1_1_269_8
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Correspondence series consists of incoming and outgoing handwritten and typed letters, carbons, postcards, faxes, and telegrams generated during Sydney Brenner's career. The bulk of this series covers the late 1940s to the 2000s. Correspondents include over 30 Nobel laureates, as well as biochemists, geneticists, students, publishers, and others. Highlights of the collection include the correspondence from Francis Crick, with whom Brenner shared an office for 20 years. Topics covered...
Dates:
26/10/1979
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #1, 9/7/1979
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_3
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Correspondence series consists of incoming and outgoing handwritten and typed letters, carbons, postcards, faxes, and telegrams generated during Sydney Brenner's career. The bulk of this series covers the late 1940s to the 2000s. Correspondents include over 30 Nobel laureates, as well as biochemists, geneticists, students, publishers, and others. Highlights of the collection include the correspondence from Francis Crick, with whom Brenner shared an office for 20 years. Topics covered...
Dates:
9/7/1979
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #2, 23/04/1979
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_5
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
The Correspondence series consists of incoming and outgoing handwritten and typed letters, carbons, postcards, faxes, and telegrams generated during Sydney Brenner's career. The bulk of this series covers the late 1940s to the 2000s. Correspondents include over 30 Nobel laureates, as well as biochemists, geneticists, students, publishers, and others. Highlights of the collection include the correspondence from Francis Crick, with whom Brenner shared an office for 20 years. Topics covered...
Dates:
23/04/1979
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