Baddley, James

James baddley
James baddley
	James baddiley
Date of Birth
Place of Birth	;
Date of death
Place of death	;
A country	;
Place of work	;
Alma mater	; ;
Awards and prizes	(1952) ; (1962)

Sir James Baddily ( born James Baddiley ; May 15, 1918 , Manchester , UK - November 17, 2008 , Cambridge , UK ) - British biochemist, specialist in the field of coenzyme structure and bacterial cell wall function. He was elected a member of Pembroke College, took an active part in public work not only as chairman at Cambridge University, but also at the national level. He was knighted in 1977.

Short Biography

James Baddily, also known as Jim, was born on May 15, 1918 in Deedsbury, Manchester, and was the second of four children in the family. His father, also James Baddily, was the son of a horse owner, and his mother was Ivy Logan Kato, the daughter of Logan Kato, a watchmaker from Manchester. The family came from South Yokshire and was very closely associated with agriculture. James Sr. (1885-1951) was the only one who became a scientist, graduating from Leeds University in 1907 with a degree in Chemistry of Dyes. After working with Professor Green in Leeds, he opened Levinstein Ltd at Blackley in Manchester. When Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was formed in 1962, he became the head of the research department of the paint and varnish group, and held this position until his retirement. In 1939 he was awarded the Perkin Medal . James believed in the independence of pure and applied science and had many contacts with academic scholars.

Jim Baddily studied at the Manchester Gymnasium, where specialization began after grade 6. From elementary grades he was fascinated by chemistry and biology. Encouraged by his father, Baddily used his pocket money to conduct chemical experiments at home. He loved gymnastics and often won prizes in this sport. In the sixth grade, he fell under the influence of the biologist Yapp, who brought Jim Baddily to biochemistry. The objects of study in high school were chemistry, physics and biology, as well as English and German.

In 1937, on the advice of his father, he entered the University of Manchester , where at that time Gailborn and Polany taught. Baddily spent the first year studying mathematics, which he lagged behind due to entrance exams. In 1938, young Alexander Todd , later Lord Todd, had the greatest influence on Jim's life. Inspired by Todd's lectures, Jim, in his last year, took up an ambitious project to prove the structure of ribonucleosides and ribonucleotides by synthesizing them. Together with Basel Lithgoy, he began work on the synthesis of purine nucleotides to confirm the binding site to the sugar residue. In the beginning, they used D-xylulose instead of the more expensive D-ribose. In addition, during the war, Jim was involved in studies to establish the structure of penicillin.

Research

Nucleotides and Coenzymes

One of the first tasks in Todd's program for the study of nucleosides was the confirmation (by synthesis) of the attachment site of the ribose to the nitrogen base in purine ribonucleosides, in particular, in adenosine. Badley synthesized 9-D-2-xylopyranosyl-2-methyladenine and, together with George Kenner, 9-D-ribopyranosyl adenine, an adenosine isomer ^[3] , ^[4] . When Badley moved to Cambridge , he got the opportunity to work with a new phosphorylating agent - dibenzyl phosphorochloridate - and was able to use it in nucleotide synthesis. From adenosine (using a new reagent), he received a protected phosphotriether. Subsequently, the resulting phosphotriether allowed to obtain adenosine 5'-phosphate, adenosine 5'-diphosphate and adenosine 5'-triphosphate ^[5] , ^[6] . This was the first synthesis of nucleotide coenzyme in the world, which was a remarkable achievement at that time. At the Lister Institute, the main focus was on coenzyme A (CoA) . Lipmann showed that coenzyme A is a derivative of pantothenic acid in its structure. Baddily and Thane synthesized pantothenic acid 4'-phosphate and showed that this compound is identical to one of the CoA hydrolysis products (the hydrolysis scheme was previously proposed by Lipmin): adenosine 5'-phosphate and 2-aminoethanethiol, which were also found previously in hydrolytic solution ^[7] , ^[8] . Panthein and panthein-4'-phosphate were also synthesized by Baddily to establish the chemical structure of coenzyme A ^[8] , ^[9] , ^[10] . The obtained synthetic materials were used by the Lipmann group for microbiological studies with organisms to identify specific steps for the synthesis of coenzyme A. The complete structure of the studied coenzyme became clear only after finding out the location of the third phosphate group in adenosine, as shown by previously carried out enzymatic hydrolysis ^[11] , ^{[ 12]} . But the synthesis of 3'-diphospho-CoA for the Baddily group did not succeed, mainly because of the problems associated with the protection of the thiol group. Coenzyme A itself was successfully synthesized by another scientific group in 1969 (Linen). After collaborating with Ernest Gale, the science team of James Baddily showed that synthetic pyrodoxal phosphate is a coenzyme of bacterial decarboxylase Streptococcus faecalis ^[13] . Baddily, then, became interested in adenine thiomethyl pentazide from yeast and, together with Cantoni in Cleveland, showed that it was one of the breakdown products of adenosylmethylthionine (the so-called “active methionine” in biochemistry), a biological methylating agent. Baddily and Graham Jameson were able to synthesize it, thereby confirming the structure ^[14] .

Teichoic acid

Her first preparations were obtained by Bob Greenberg using acid extraction of L. arabinosus cells : acid hydrolysis in this case leads to the formation of ribite, glycerol phosphates and their decomposition products. The extract after acid hydrolysis contained teichoic acid , ribitol phosphate and glucose in the case of L. arabinosus and Bacillus subtilis, and in the case of Staphylococcus aureus - glucoseamine; all three contained alanine. An analysis of the hydrolysis of cell walls using phosphoric acid showed that ribobol teichoic acid is present at a level of 30-50% of the dry weight of the wall. In further studies, it became clear that polymer phosphates associated with cell membranes were somehow involved in the construction of cell walls. These polyphosphates in experimental practice were obtained by centrifugation of lysed cells at a higher speed. The term teichoic acid has been expanded to include the phosphate polymers contained in the capsules of some organisms. From a structural point of view, it was found that sugar-phosphate polymers lacking glycerol or ribitol existed, and they were also assigned to teichoic acids. Intracellular teichoic acid was originally included in teichoic acids from cell membranes, but when it turned out that intracellular teichoic acids had a glycolipid at the end, they became known as lipoteichoic acids. The extraction of teichoic acids from the walls of bacterial cells required acidic or alkaline conditions, and it became apparent that there was a covalent bond with petidoglycans from the cell wall.

Baddily examined the biosynthesis of teichoic acid wall glycerol from Staphylococcus Lactis . In organisms in which teichoic acid was of the ribitol type, a small amount of glycerol and its phosphates was always formed during hydrolysis. This led to the suspicion that a short sequence of glycerophosphate oligomer may be associated with peptidoglycan.

Personal life

Jim was a master of experimental work. He had intuitive abilities that allowed him to cope with the vagaries of organic reactions. His laboratory journals were exemplary, and the experiments were written in such a form that they could immediately be submitted to a publication. He was full of determination and determination, as befits a member of the University Club of climbers. During his student life in Manchester, Jim and his school friend Bob Davis climbed onto the roof of the Department of Chemistry, which prompted the start of climbing in North Wales. In the scientific community, Baddily behaved extremely modestly and respectfully towards other scientists. Although Alex Todd had major scientific influence, Baddily was much more interested in the biological aspects of chemistry and felt better in the company of biochemists and biologists.

Jim Baddily married Hazel Townsend in 1944, who eventually became the backbone of his life. He was interested in art and music. Hazel was a fabric designer and he and Jim had a lot in common. In the early days in Cambridge, a young couple led an active social life and the Baddily family home was the center for young people who moved from Manchester and for the wives of foreign guests of the Faculty of Chemistry. Hazel assisted Alison Todd (later Lady Todd) in setting up the birth control clinic and was involved in charity work. Their son Christopher was born during the unusually cold winter of 1947. Their period of life in Stockholm, which began later in 1947, contrasted sharply with life in Cambridge. While Jim worked at the Wenner-Gren Institute most of the time, Hazel felt alone with a small child in a strange city in which she could not even talk to anyone. By the end of his life in Stockholm, Hazel made some friends, but the Baddily family was again forced to return to the UK after 18 months. In 1954, Jim became friends with Fritz Lipman and met with many American biochemists.

In Newcastle, Jim and Hazel initially lived in a dormitory at the University of Eldon Place, just a few doors from George and Robert Stephenson, the railway's discoverers. Jim and Hazel found the hostel helpful in finding university friends who also lived there. After two years, they built a new home in Walsington Park, just five miles from the university. Hazel took an active part in the social life of the university, helping to develop the University Wives society, which would help the wives of scientists. She developed her interests in family planning, which sometimes included visits to more remote corners of Newcastle. In the new house, they received friends and foreign guests as well as members of the Jim research team. Hazel was also involved in horse racing. This interest appeared after her life in Cambridge. In Newcastle, she learned the intricacies of this affair and became a qualified instructor of the British Riding Society.

Jim Baddily had many interests in his life: he was fond of music, both classical and jazz, and had an impressive collection of records. He loved fine art and photography, holidays abroad in good hotels. At the age of 80, he first sat down at a computer and left extensive notes about his life. Jim and Hazel led an active social life in Cambridge. In old age, they lived in a modernized seventeenth-century house (Hill Top cottage) in Hildersheim, south of Cambridge. Hazel liked the village life in Hildersheim, including the church where she took part in the church choir. Jim noted in his memoirs that his parents were openly against religion in any form. He himself, as a scientist, did not find convincing evidence for faith and after school he never attended church, except for weddings and funerals.

In ordinary life, Jim was very friendly, gentle and with a sense of humor. He was always single-minded in achieving his goals. From youth smoked a pipe. After leaving London, where he played squash, Jim did not actively engage in sports, but he always maintained excellent shape all his life. He did not like big international scientific meetings. He preferred quiet and secluded scientific discussions, such as at the Gordon Conference.

Jim and Hazel celebrated a diamond wedding at Pembroke College in 2004. Hazel died in 2007, right in preparation for moving to an apartment on Grunge Road in Cambridge. They had a happy marriage, in which Hazel always supported Jim and was a support in difficult times, so Hazel's departure greatly saddened him. Jim died peacefully in the hospital of Addenbrook, at the age of 90, on November 19, 2008, leaving his son Christopher and two grandchildren - Alex and Antey. Christopher began his career as a physicist. He became well known as a lecturer and won the Gallileo Award for his work on urban light, which interferes with research in astronomy.

Public participation

Baddily served on the Chemistry and Enzyme Technology Committee, the Biological Sciences Committee, and the Consulate for Research in Science and Engineering. For the Royal Society, he was a member of the Council of Government Grants for Chemistry (section committee 3 - Chemistry), a section committee for biochemistry. Departing from Arthur Birch to Australian National University in Canberra in 1967, Baddily joined the Ciba Fellowship Advisory Committee. He was one of the members of various councils and committees: the Chemical Society (now the Royal Society of Chemists), the Biochemical Society, and the Society of Chemical Microbiology. He was a member of the editorial board of Biochemicals and Cambridge Biotechnology Research. Since 1994, he was vice president of the Alzheimer's Research Trust and was one of the founding members of the Concejo Cultural Mundial Interdisciplinary Committee (World Cultural Council), based in Mexico.

Notes

↑ ¹ ² SNAC - 2010.
<a href=" https://wikidata.org/wiki/Track:P3430 "> </a> <a href=" https://wikidata.org/wiki/Track:Q29861311 "> </a>
↑ List of members of the Royal Society of London from 1660 to 2007 on the Royal Society of London website
↑ J. Baddiley, B. Lythgoe & ARTodd Experiments on the synthesis of purine nucleosides. The synthesis of 9-d-xylosido-2-methyladenine and 6-d-xylosidamino-2-methylpurine // J. Chem. Soc., 1944, Vol. 6, p. 318–322
↑ J. Baddiley, GW Kenner, B. Lythgoe & AR Todd Experiments on the synthesis of purine nucleosides. A synthesis of 9-d-ribopyranosidoadenine. // J. Chem. Soc., 1944, Vol. 10, p. 657–659.
↑ J. Baddiley, AR Todd Nucleotides. Adenylic acid and adenosine diphosphate // J. Chem. Soc., 1946, Vol. 1, p. 648-651.
↑ J. Baddiley, AM Michelson & AR Todd Nucleotides. Synthesis of adenosine triphosphate // J. Chem. Soc., 1945, Vol. 2, p. 582-586.
↑ J. Baddiley, EM Thain Coenzyme A. Evidence for its formulation as a derivative of pantothenic acid-4 ′ phosphate // J. Chem. Soc., 1947, Vol. 2, p. 2253-2258.
↑ ¹ ² J. Baddiley, EM Thain Coenzyme A. Synthesis of pantothenic acid-2 ′: 4 ′ phosphate and further structural considerations // J. Chem. Soc., 1947, Vol. 3, p. 3421-3424.
↑ J. Baddiley, EM Thain Coenzyme A. A new and convenient synthesis of pantetheine (Lactobacillus bulgaricus factor) // J. Chem. Soc., 1946, Vol. 5, p. 800-803.
↑ J. Baddiley, EM Thain Coenzyme A. The synthesis of pantetheine-4 ′ phosphate (acetobacter stimulatory factor), a degradation product of the coenzyme // J. Chem. Soc., 1948, Vol. 8, p. 1610-1615
↑ J. Baddiley, EM Thain, GD Novelli & F. Lipmann Structure of coenzyme A. // Nature (1949) Vol. 171 P. 76
↑ J. Baddiley, The structure of coenzyme A // Adv. Enzymol., 1948, Vol. 16, p. 1-21
↑ J. Baddiley, AP Mathias An unambiguous synthesis of codecarboxylase // J. Chem. Soc., 1948, Vol. 7, p. 2583-2591.
↑ J. Baddiley, GA Jamieson Synthesis of 'active methionine' // J. Chem. Soc., 1949, Vol. 5, p. 4280-4284

Links

[_4519f3a3db657d7d-1] ¹ ² SNAC - 2010.
<a href=" https://wikidata.org/wiki/Track:P3430 "> </a> <a href=" https://wikidata.org/wiki/Track:Q29861311 "> </a>

[2] List of members of the Royal Society of London from 1660 to 2007 on the Royal Society of London website

[3] J. Baddiley, B. Lythgoe & ARTodd Experiments on the synthesis of purine nucleosides. The synthesis of 9-d-xylosido-2-methyladenine and 6-d-xylosidamino-2-methylpurine // J. Chem. Soc., 1944, Vol. 6, p. 318–322

[4] J. Baddiley, GW Kenner, B. Lythgoe & AR Todd Experiments on the synthesis of purine nucleosides. A synthesis of 9-d-ribopyranosidoadenine. // J. Chem. Soc., 1944, Vol. 10, p. 657–659.

[5] J. Baddiley, AR Todd Nucleotides. Adenylic acid and adenosine diphosphate // J. Chem. Soc., 1946, Vol. 1, p. 648-651.

[6] J. Baddiley, AM Michelson & AR Todd Nucleotides. Synthesis of adenosine triphosphate // J. Chem. Soc., 1945, Vol. 2, p. 582-586.

[7] J. Baddiley, EM Thain Coenzyme A. Evidence for its formulation as a derivative of pantothenic acid-4 ′ phosphate // J. Chem. Soc., 1947, Vol. 2, p. 2253-2258.

[autogenerated1-8] ¹ ² J. Baddiley, EM Thain Coenzyme A. Synthesis of pantothenic acid-2 ′: 4 ′ phosphate and further structural considerations // J. Chem. Soc., 1947, Vol. 3, p. 3421-3424.

[9] J. Baddiley, EM Thain Coenzyme A. A new and convenient synthesis of pantetheine (Lactobacillus bulgaricus factor) // J. Chem. Soc., 1946, Vol. 5, p. 800-803.

[10] J. Baddiley, EM Thain Coenzyme A. The synthesis of pantetheine-4 ′ phosphate (acetobacter stimulatory factor), a degradation product of the coenzyme // J. Chem. Soc., 1948, Vol. 8, p. 1610-1615

[11] J. Baddiley, EM Thain, GD Novelli & F. Lipmann Structure of coenzyme A. // Nature (1949) Vol. 171 P. 76

[12] J. Baddiley, The structure of coenzyme A // Adv. Enzymol., 1948, Vol. 16, p. 1-21

[13] J. Baddiley, AP Mathias An unambiguous synthesis of codecarboxylase // J. Chem. Soc., 1948, Vol. 7, p. 2583-2591.

[14] J. Baddiley, GA Jamieson Synthesis of 'active methionine' // J. Chem. Soc., 1949, Vol. 5, p. 4280-4284