The Molecular Biology

Story

DATE

SCIENTIST & CONTRIBUTION

Austrian botanist, Gregor Mendel, cross pollinated plants to examine
1859 the patterns of inheritance of several traits.
He suggested that one unit of heredity comes from each parent
which could Be dominant or recessive.
1869 Johann Friedrich Meischer, Swiss biochemist, isolated nuclei of white
blood cells called nuclein, now known as nucleic acid
1882 Walker Flemming, a German cytologist, described threadlike bodies
during cell division.
Threadlike bodies were termed as chromosomes by Waldeyer in
1888.
1903 Walter Sutton, an American cytologist, described that chromosomes
were carriers of Mendels unit of heredity or genes. The term
chromosome was given by Wilhelm Johannsen in 1909.
1920 1930s Biochemical reactions to many important metabolic pathways
s
were elucidated. The ultracentrifuge was developed.
1928
1938
1938

The transformation Experiments of Fred Griffifth

The Molecular Biology-The Term was first used by Warren Weaver,
who later described molecular biology as another branch of science.
Molecular Biology: The term was first used by Warren Weaver, who
later described molecular biology as another branch of science.

1944

The answer to the question on transformation was obtained from the

results of the experiments of Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod and
Maclyn MacCarty.

1945

The term molecular biology was used by WILLIAM ASTBURY when

he was referring to the study of chemical and physical structure of
macromolecules.
The Blender Experiment of Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase. The
experiment made use of kitchen blender and showed that the DNA
was introduced into the bacterial cell and DNA was later multiplied
and packaged into new viral particles.
Rosalind Franklin obtained improved X ray diffraction data using
purified DNA samples. Data suggest a 3.4 nm periodicity and a
helical structure.
Linus Pauling and Robert Corey used data of Rosalind Franklin to
suggest a triple helix DNA structure with phosphates at the center.

1952

1950
1953
1953

James Watson and Francis Crick used data of R. Franklin and

1955
1957
1960
1962

Chargaff and proposed the double helix structure of DNA.

The first complete sequence of the peptide hormone insulin was
obtained.
Matthew Messelson and Frank Stahl demonstrated how DNA is
replicated in cells.
The existence of the messenger RNA was confirmed. The first
complete sequence of an enzyme , ribonuclease was reported.
Nobel Prize for the DNA double helix shared by James Watson,
Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins.
The triple code of all living organisms was completed
DNA sequencing was already being developed.

1966
1960
1970
s
1967 DNA ligase, the enzyme that catalyzes the formation of
phosphodiester bond between two DNA chains, or joining of DNA
fragments was first discovered.
1968 Meselson and Yuan first discovered restriction enzyme from E. coli
but the cleavage sides are not clear.
1970 The discovery of restrictions, the enzyme that cut DNA and ligase,
s
enzymes used to connect double stranded DNA and the discovery of
these enzymes paved the way for the advances of in genetic
engineering.
1971 The Ca Cl2 or heat shock protocol for transformation was developed.
1972 Stanfold University with Berg, Jackson, Symons, Mertz, and Davis
described the joining or ligation of DNA molecules from different
sources.
1973 Boyer, Helling, Cohen, and Chang, published their work showing the
DNA fragment could be ligated or introduced into a plasmid vector.
Genes or DNA from frog was transferred to E. coli while bacteria
could be transformed with mouse DNA.
1980 Patent on methods of cloning and transformation was awarded to
Herbert Boye and Boye later became the founder of the
biotechnology company Genentech.
1982 Human insulin produced by genetically engineered bacteria became
the first produced of modern biotechnology that was commercially
released.
1987 A crime suspect in UK was convicted using DNA fingerprinting data.
1990 Chymosin enzyme for milk curdling was commercially produced by a
genetically modified bacteria.
1991 The first transgenic animal, Tracey the sheep, was born with a gene

1994

for a therapeutic protein present in its milk.

The first transgenic plant, Flavr Savr Tomato, with the delayed
repining trait, was commercialized.
Genetically modified crops introduced in the market with insect
resistance, herbicide tolerance.

1996
prese
nt
1997 The sheep Dolly, the first cloned animal was born.
1998 More than 300,000, partial to complete protein sequences has been
obtained. Start of the human genome project
2000 Completed sequencing of the human genome.
At present:
Area planted into genetically modified crops worldwide
is more than 81 million hectares.
Dolly is dead due to early aging.