The following table lists names of scientists and advances made by themColumn A Column B A Linus Pauling (i) Myoglobin structure B Emil Fischer (ii) Model of α-helix C John Kendrew (iii) Lock and Key model D Christian Anfinsen (iv) Sequence-structure
Which one of the following options correctly matches contents of column A with column B?
A – (ii); B – (iii); C – (i); D – (iv)
Scientists and Their Advances in Biochemistry
This question asks us to match famous scientists with their significant contributions or advances in the field of biochemistry, particularly related to protein structure and function.
We are given two columns:
| Column A (Scientists) | Column B (Advances) |
|---|---|
| Linus Pauling | (i) Myoglobin structure |
| Emil Fischer | (ii) Model of $\alpha$-helix |
| John Kendrew | (iii) Lock and Key model |
| Christian Anfinsen | (iv) Sequence-structure |
Let's look at the contributions of each scientist listed in Column A:
Pauling's Contribution
- Linus Pauling was a towering figure in chemistry and biochemistry. Among his many achievements, he proposed the structure of the $\alpha$-helix and $\beta$-sheet, which are fundamental secondary structures found in proteins. Therefore, Linus Pauling is associated with the model of the $\alpha$-helix.
Fischer's Contribution
- Emil Fischer was a German chemist who made significant contributions to the study of carbohydrates and purines. He is also famous for proposing the "Lock and Key" hypothesis to explain the specificity of enzyme-substrate interactions. According to this model, the enzyme's active site (the lock) has a specific shape that only fits a particular substrate (the key). Thus, Emil Fischer is associated with the Lock and Key model.
Kendrew's Contribution
- John Kendrew, along with Max Perutz, determined the first three-dimensional structure of a protein using X-ray crystallography. This protein was myoglobin, a protein found in muscle tissue that binds oxygen. Therefore, John Kendrew is associated with the Myoglobin structure.
Anfinsen's Contribution
- Christian Anfinsen conducted experiments on the folding of the enzyme ribonuclease A. His work demonstrated that the information required for a protein to fold into its correct three-dimensional structure is contained within its primary sequence (amino acid sequence). This principle is often summarized as the "sequence-structure" relationship or Anfinsen's dogma. Hence, Christian Anfinsen is associated with sequence-structure.
Matching the Scientists
Based on the above information, we can match the scientists in Column A with their respective advances in Column B:
- Linus Pauling $\rightarrow$ (ii) Model of $\alpha$-helix
- Emil Fischer $\rightarrow$ (iii) Lock and Key model
- John Kendrew $\rightarrow$ (i) Myoglobin structure
- Christian Anfinsen $\rightarrow$ (iv) Sequence-structure
This gives us the matching combination: A – (ii); B – (iii); C – (i); D – (iv).
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