Hartmut Michel | |
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.jpg) Hartmut Michel in 2013 | |
| Born | (1948-07-18)18 July 1948 (age 77) |
| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | University of Tübingen |
| Known for | Crystallisation ofmembrane proteins |
| Spouse | Elena Olkhova |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Institutions | Max Planck Institute for Biophysics |
| Website | www |
Hartmut Michel (German pronunciation:[ˈhaʁtmuːtˈmɪçl̩]ⓘ; born 18 July 1948) is a Germanbiochemist, who received the 1988Nobel Prize in Chemistry for determination of the first crystal structure of an integral membrane protein, a membrane-bound complex of proteins and co-factors that is essential tophotosynthesis.[2][3][4][5]
He was born on 18 July 1948 inLudwigsburg. After compulsory military service, he studied biochemistry at theUniversity of Tübingen, working for his final year at Dieter Oesterhelt's laboratory onATPase activity ofhalobacteria.
Hartmut later[when?] worked on the crystallisation ofmembrane proteins – essential for their structure elucidation byX-ray crystallography. He received theNobel Prize jointly withJohann Deisenhofer andRobert Huber in 1988. Together with Michel and Huber, Deisenhofer determined the three-dimensional structure of a protein complex found in certain photosynthetic bacteria. This membrane protein complex, called aphotosynthetic reaction center, was known to play a crucial role in initiating a simple type of photosynthesis. Between 1982 and 1985, the three scientists usedX-ray crystallography to determine the exact arrangement of the more than 10,000 atoms that make up the protein complex. Their research increased the general understanding of the mechanisms of photosynthesis, revealed similarities between the photosynthetic processes of plants and bacteria and established a methodology for crystallising membrane proteins.[6]
Since 1987 he has been director of the Molecular Membrane Biology department attheMax Planck Institute for Biophysics inFrankfurt am Main, Germany, and professor of biochemistry at theGoethe University Frankfurt.
In 1986, he received theGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of theDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, which is the highest honour awarded in German research. In 1988, he received theNobel Prize in Chemistry. He received the Bijvoet Medal at theBijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research ofUtrecht University in 1989.[7] In 1995 he became a member of theGerman Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.[8] He also became a foreign member of theRoyal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1995.[9] He was elected aForeign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 2005.[1]
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