A path to discovery: the career of Maclyn McCarty.

Joshua Lederberg,Emil C Gotschlich

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030341

Abstract

Maclyn McCarty, who devoted his life as a physician-scientist to studying infectious disease organisms, was best known for his part in the monumental discovery that DNA, rather than protein, constituted the chemical nature of a gene. Uncovering the molecular secret of the gene in question—that for the capsular polysaccharide of pneumococcal bacteria—led the way to studying heredity not only through genetics but also through chemistry, and initiated the dawn of the age of molecular biology. McCarty was the youngest and longest surviving member of the research team responsible for this feat, which also included Oswald T. Avery and Colin MacLeod; he died on January 2, 2005, from congestive heart failure.

Highlights

Maclyn McCarty, who devoted his life as a physician-scientist to studying infectious disease organisms, was best known for his part in the monumental discovery that DNA, rather than protein, constituted the chemical nature of a gene
McCarty set himself the goal of becoming a physician-scientist, and he pursued a successful strategy to prepare for admission to, and early success in, Johns Hopkins University Medical School
In 1937, he began his clinical training in pediatrics at the Harriet Lane Service at Johns Hopkins University

Summary

Introduction

Maclyn McCarty, who devoted his life as a physician-scientist to studying infectious disease organisms, was best known for his part in the monumental discovery that DNA, rather than protein, constituted the chemical nature of a gene. McCarty’s arrival at the Rockefeller Institute in September 1941 marked 13 years since this discovery, known as the Griffith phenomenon. Around 1940, they were activated by Colin MacLeod’s efforts to purify the chemical agent responsible for changes of serotype—whether protein, nucleic acid, or some other class of molecule—and demonstrate that it was necessary and sufficient to cause the Griffith phenomenon.

Results

Conclusion