Irwin Fridovich

Irwin Fridovich
Born(1929-08-02)August 2, 1929
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 2, 2019(2019-11-02) (aged 90)
EducationCity College of New York (BS 1951), Duke University (PhD 1955)
Known forSuperoxide dismutase, oxygen free radicals
AwardsElliott Cresson Medal (1997)
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry
InstitutionsCornell Medical College, Duke University
Doctoral advisorPhilip Handler
Doctoral studentsJoe M. McCord, Hara P. Misra
Ribbon drawing of the subunit 3D structure of Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase

Irwin Fridovich (August 2, 1929 – November 2, 2019)[1] was an American biochemist who, together with his graduate student Joe M. McCord, discovered the enzymatic activity of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD),[2][3]—to protect organisms from the toxic effects of superoxide free radicals formed as a byproduct of normal oxygen metabolism.[4] Subsequently, Fridovich's research group also discovered the manganese-containing[5] and the iron-containing[6] SODs from Escherichia coli and the mitochondrial MnSOD (SOD2),[7] now known to be an essential protein in mammals.[8] He spent the rest of his career studying the biochemical mechanisms of SOD and of biological superoxide toxicity, using bacteria as model systems.[9][10][11] Fridovich was also Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry at Duke University.

  1. ^ "Duke Flags Lowered: Biochemist Irwin Fridovich Dies at Age 90".
  2. ^ McCord JM, Fridovich I (1969). "Superoxide Dismutase, An Enzymic Function for Erythrocuprein (Hemocuprein)". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 244 (22): 6049–6055. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)63504-5. PMID 5389100.
  3. ^ Fridovich I (1998). "The trail to superoxide dismutase". Protein Science. 7 (12): 2688–2690. doi:10.1002/pro.5560071225. PMC 2143889. PMID 9865966.
  4. ^ Bannister WH, Bannister JV (1988). "Isolation and characterization of superoxide dismutase: a personal history and tribute to Joe McCord and Irwin Fridovich". Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 5 (5–6): 371–6. doi:10.1016/0891-5849(88)90110-4. PMID 2855737.
  5. ^ BB Keele Jr; JM McCord; I Fridovich (1970). "Superoxide Dismutase from Escherichia coli B: A new manganese-containing enzyme". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 245 (22): 6176–6181. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)62675-4. PMID 4921969.
  6. ^ FJ Yost Jr; I Fridovich (1973). "An iron-containing superoxide dismutase from Escherichia coli". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 248 (14): 4905–4908. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(19)43649-1. PMID 4352182.
  7. ^ Weisiger RA, Fridovich I (1973). "Superoxide Dismutase: Organelle specificity". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 248 (10): 3582–3592. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(19)43969-0. PMID 4702877.
  8. ^ McCord JM, Fridovich I (1988). "Superoxide dismutase: the first twenty years (1968-1988)". Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 5 (5–6): 363–9. doi:10.1016/0891-5849(88)90109-8. PMID 2855736.
  9. ^ Fridovich I (1978). "The biology of oxygen radicals". Science. 201 (4359): 875–880. Bibcode:1978Sci...201..875F. doi:10.1126/science.210504. PMID 210504.
  10. ^ Fridovich I (1995). "Superoxide radical and superoxide dismutases" (PDF). Annual Review of Biochemistry. 64: 97–112. doi:10.1146/annurev.bi.64.070195.000525. PMID 7574505. S2CID 26834871. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06.
  11. ^ Kresge N, Simoni RD, Hill RL (2006). "Forty Years of Superoxide Dismutase Research: the Work of Irwin Fridovich (JBC Classics: Enzymology)". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 281 (22): e17. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(20)56010-9. Retrieved July 3, 2011.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)