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{"id":6255,"date":"2015-03-17T16:30:23","date_gmt":"2015-03-17T20:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/?p=6255"},"modified":"2024-10-21T11:15:57","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T15:15:57","slug":"a-tribute-to-marshall-nirenberg-frank-portugal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2015\/03\/17\/a-tribute-to-marshall-nirenberg-frank-portugal\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tribute to Marshall Nirenberg\u2014Frank Portugal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Today, March 17, 2015, the National Library of Medicine held a special event,\u00a0<\/em><em>“<a title=\"NLM's News & Events\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nlm.nih.gov\/news\/tribute_to_nirenberg.html\">A Tribute to Marshall Nirenberg<\/a>,” the first of a\u00a0“triplet” of events at NIH being held to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his deciphering of the genetic code. View the event <a title=\"National Institutes of Health - VideoCast\" href=\"http:\/\/videocast.nih.gov\/summary.asp?Live=15563&bhcp=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>. The program included presentations from his wife, Dr. Myrna Weissman, scholars, and Library staff. <\/em>Circulating Now<em> interviewed the presenters and today we hear from Dr. Frank Portugal. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Circulating Now:<\/strong> Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do?<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/portugal_frank_03.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"6354\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2015\/03\/17\/a-tribute-to-marshall-nirenberg-frank-portugal\/portugal_frank_03\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/portugal_frank_03.png?fit=1600%2C1123&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1123\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"Portugal_Frank_03\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/portugal_frank_03.png?fit=300%2C211&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/portugal_frank_03.png?fit=840%2C590&ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-6354\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/portugal_frank_03.png?resize=300%2C211&ssl=1\" alt=\"A formal portrait of Frank Protugal in a suit.\" width=\"300\" height=\"211\" \/><\/a>Frank Portugal:<\/strong> Like Marshall, I am originally from New York City. I graduated from the Columbia University College of Pharmacy and later received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Illinois. I then came to NIH to gain further research experience in Marshall\u2019s laboratory.<\/p>\n<p>I currently direct a Master\u2019s degree program in biotechnology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. As part of the program, students take customized internships, many of which have been done at NIH. In addition, at The Catholic University of America, I also do research on interfering with the growth of human pathogens, such as <em><a title=\"NLM's MedlinePlus\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nlm.nih.gov\/medlineplus\/staphylococcalinfections.html\">Staphylococcus aureus<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CN:<\/strong> You\u2019ve recently written a book, <em>The Least Likely Man: Marshall Nirenberg and the Discovery of the Genetic Code.<\/em> What made you want to write this book now?<\/p>\n<p><strong>FP:<\/strong> Several factors led me to write this book. First, my admiration and appreciation of Marshall both as a scientist and person. Marshall gave my scientific career an extraordinary boost both professionally by accepting me in his laboratory and personally by exposing me to his work habits and values.<\/p>\n<p>Second, Marshall\u2019s life and scientific career contain unusual elements. Marshall himself might have become an invalid or died as a result of getting rheumatic fever. But he managed to overcome any disability. Just out of graduate school, Marshall faced competition in deciphering the genetic code. Some twenty world famous scientists formed a private club for the same purpose. I have never before heard of scientists forming a private club for solving a major scientific problem and keeping others out. Marshall was never admitted into the club.<\/p>\n<p>Third is a concern that Marshall\u2019s accomplishments have been overlooked. This may be partly due to Marshall\u2019s modest demeanor, but not entirely. What or who else might also be responsible for his obscurity?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6320\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6320\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/nirenberg-receiving-the-nobel-prize.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"6320\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2015\/03\/17\/a-tribute-to-marshall-nirenberg-frank-portugal\/nirenberg-receiving-the-nobel-prize\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/nirenberg-receiving-the-nobel-prize.png?fit=1600%2C1207&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1207\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"Nirenberg receiving the Nobel Prize\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden presents the Nobel Prize to Marshall Nirenberg, 1968<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/nirenberg-receiving-the-nobel-prize.png?fit=300%2C226&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/nirenberg-receiving-the-nobel-prize.png?fit=840%2C634&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-6320 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/nirenberg-receiving-the-nobel-prize.png?resize=650%2C490&ssl=1\" alt=\"At an elegant gathering Marshal Nirenberg is handed the Nobel Prize and Certificate by the King of Sweden.\" width=\"650\" height=\"490\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6320\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden presents the Nobel Prize to Marshall Nirenberg, 1968<br \/><a title=\"NLM's Profiles in Science\" href=\"https:\/\/profiles.nlm.nih.gov\/101584910X33\">Profiles in Science, Courtesy Pressens Bild<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>CN:<\/strong> A biography requires an extensive amount of research, of course. What resources did you find most helpful in your work?<\/p>\n<p><strong>FP:<\/strong> Notebooks in Marshall\u2019s <a title=\"NLM's Archives and Modern Manuscripts Finding Aids\" href=\"https:\/\/findingaids.nlm.nih.gov\/repositories\/4\/resources\/941\">collected papers<\/a> in the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine formed the core resource for the book. These notebooks gave me an unusual insight into how Marshall\u2019s thinking evolved about the genetic code. Interviews with people ranging from Marshall\u2019s family and friends who knew him at various stages of his life to those who worked with him at the National Institutes of Health also provided key details and contributions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CN:<\/strong> What\u2019s your favorite story from your research on Nirenberg\u2019s life and work?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6321\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6321\" style=\"width: 212px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/marshall-nirenberg.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"6321\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2015\/03\/17\/a-tribute-to-marshall-nirenberg-frank-portugal\/marshall-nirenberg\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/marshall-nirenberg.png?fit=847%2C1200&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"847,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"Marshall Nirenberg\" data-image-description=\"<p>Official NIH portrait taken during the period of widespread acclaim for Nirenberg and his work in the 1960s, celebrating the famous NIH scientist for his many awards. <\/p>\n\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Marshall Nirenberg, ca. 1968<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/marshall-nirenberg.png?fit=212%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/marshall-nirenberg.png?fit=723%2C1024&ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6321\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/marshall-nirenberg.png?resize=212%2C300&ssl=1\" alt=\"A formal portrait of a young Marshall Nirenberg\" width=\"212\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6321\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marshall Nirenberg, ca. 1968<br \/><a title=\"NLM's Profiles in Science\" href=\"https:\/\/profiles.nlm.nih.gov\/101584910X5\">Profiles in Science<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>FP:<\/strong> In the 1960s, the United States was involved in two wars: the Cold War and the Vietnam War. In Washington, Marshall presented on the code. The presentation ended. A strikingly beautiful young woman came up. That should not be a surprise, for Marshall was a handsome man.\u00a0 <em>The Least Likely Man <\/em>tells of his handsomeness.<\/p>\n<p>The young woman spoke with a slight accent. She invited Marshall to join her for lunch. \u201cWhy,\u201d Marshall wanted to know?<\/p>\n<p>She was deeply interested in learning more about the code.<\/p>\n<p>Sensing Marshall\u2019s reluctance, she then added, \u201cAfter lunch, we can get a hotel room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For some men, perhaps a tempting offer. But not for Marshall. Marshall always conveyed a strong sense of morality and ethics. And so he gracefully declined.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s NOT the end of story.<\/p>\n<p>The Cold War continued. Marshall learned more about this woman. She was with the Russian Embassy. She was a Russian spy.<\/p>\n<p>She heard about his talk of a code. She assumed it had military value.<\/p>\n<p>She missed the point that it is a \u201c<em>genetic<\/em>\u201d code.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CN:<\/strong> On this 50th anniversary of Nirenberg\u2019s discovery what would you like readers to understand about the impact of his work?<\/p>\n<p><strong>FP:<\/strong> Determining the entire sequence of the human genome would have been a hollow victory had Marshall not provided the genetic data that has enabled scientists to decode the sequence. Similarly, mutations that cause disorders and disease, such as cancer, could not be interpreted without the genetic code. And, finally, the code that Marshall deciphered has now enabled synthetic biologists to expand the applications from coding for 20 amino acids to coding for 172 amino acids. It may now be possible to synthesize novel proteins with targeted health or industrial applications.<\/p>\n<h3>Watch on YouTube<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Tribute to Marshall Nirenberg \/ NLM History of Medicine\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UTSdltPwL-E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Stay tuned all this week as <\/em>Circulating Now<em> brings you interviews with the presenters of “A Tribute to Marshall Nirenberg.”<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is part of a <\/em><a title=\"NLM's Circulating Now\" href=\"http:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/category\/series\/deciphering-the-genetic-code\/\"><em>series <\/em><\/a><em>that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Genetic Code Charts. Stay tuned throughout the year to learn more about Marshall Nirenberg and these groundbreaking documents.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, March 17, 2015, the National Library of Medicine held a special event,\u00a0“A Tribute to Marshall Nirenberg,” the first of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19605840,"featured_media":6326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"A Tribute to Marshall Nirenberg\u2014Author Frank Portugal shares information about his new book on Nirenberg http:\/\/wp.me\/p3xcDk-1CT","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[42333869,12763,321229776,51014,2347],"tags":[10694,11788,56024540,5711],"class_list":["post-6255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives-manuscripts","category-collections","category-deciphering-the-genetic-code","category-guests","category-series","tag-genetics","tag-interview","tag-marshall-nirenberg","tag-nlmhisttalk"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/jjbbcp_feature.png?fit=932%2C360&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xcDk-1CT","jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19605840"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6255"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27522,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6255\/revisions\/27522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |