Oswald Theodore Avery (* 21 October 1877 in Halifax, new facts Scotia; "† 2 February 1955 in Nashville, threshing floor lake) was a Canadian physician. It attained a doctorate 1904 to the Columbia University in New York. After a phase as a practicing physician Avery was scientifically active 1913-1947 at the Rockefeller of institutes OF Medical Research.

There it could point to co-operation with Colin MacLeod and Maclyn McCarty as well as with the help of an elegant experiment at Pneumokokken that the DNA is and not, as one assumed up to then the proteins carriers of the heiress formation. They justified hereby the modern molecular genetics.

The background

At present Averys prevailed a controversy over it, which substance class was carrier of the heiress formation. Proteins were favored by many scientists, since these are involved in the cell pervasively and at all metabolic functions. The "“opposing camp"” assumed the heiress formation in the DNA, a molecule, whose function was unknown so far. Avery developed an ingeniously simple however attempt clear in its force of expression, which is considered this very day as the best example of logical experimenting.

The attempt

Avery worked with two trunks of Pneumokokken, the R-trunk, which does not possess protecting Schleimkapsel and which S-trunk, which has such. The idea was that R-trunk-Pneumokokken would begin such sleeves by addition of S-trunk-Erbinformation to construct.

DNA, RNA, Polysaccharide and proteins, from the bacteria of the S-trunk were won in each case and to one bacterial culture each of the R-trunk caused. Only with addition of DNA both S and R-cells developed, with the other test parts developed only R-Zellen.Obwohl these results the DNA clearly as carriers of the heiress formation to identify seemed made Avery a further Experiment.Im 2.Teil added Avery still another in each case DNA decompose enzyme (a so-called DNAse). Now no S-Pneumokokken was formed also with addition of the DNA.

Interpretation

This attempt proves that the genetic information must lie on the DNA, since the R-cells needed information from the S-cells, so that they train a Schleimkapsel, speak S-cells to become to be able. And only the DNA created it to transform R to S-cells. With the counter example with an enzyme it became still clearer that the genetic information must lie in the DNA, since with addition of a DNAse only R-cells develop, since the DNA was diminished by the enzyme.

Publications

• The specific action OF A bacterial enzymes on pneumococci OF type IIITH Science 72 (1930): 151-152
• Studies on the chemical nature OF the substance inducing transformation OF pneumococcal type. J. experim. Med. 79 (1944): 137-158

Literature

• Michaela Scherr, Dietmar Scherr: The "“Avery experiment: Milestone of molecular biology. Biology in our time 33 (1), P. 58 - 61 (2003), ISSN 0045-205X

See also:

• Frederick Griffith

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