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:
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #3, 30/06/1986
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_9
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:
30/06/1986
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #3, 17/12/1982
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_7
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:
17/12/1982
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #4, 29/01/1991
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_15
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:
29/01/1991
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #5, 22/05/1990
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_21
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:
22/05/1990
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #6, 12/1/1990
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_24
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:
12/1/1990
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #7, 8/3/1985
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_26
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:
8/3/1985
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #8, 20/04/1967
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_32
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:
20/04/1967
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #9, 25/01/1961
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_35
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:
25/01/1961
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #10, 17/02/1983
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_37
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:
17/02/1983
Letter from Mark Ptashne to Sydney Brenner #11, 27/04/1994
Item — Box CP13, Folder: 7
Identifier: SB_1_1_522_38
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:
27/04/1994
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