Albrecht Kossel German biochemist Date of Birth: 16.09.1853 Country: Germany

Biography of Albrecht Kossel

Albrecht Kossel was a German biochemist and physiologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1910. He was born in Rostock, Germany, to Albrecht Kossel Sr., a merchant, and Clara Kossel (née Jeppes).

As a child, Kossel developed an interest in botany and frequently went on walks in the surroundings of Rostock to study various plants. Despite his passion for botany, his father considered it a less promising field and recommended that Kossel study medicine instead. Following his father's wishes, Kossel enrolled at the newly established Imperial University of Strasbourg in 1872, where he attended lectures by mycologist Anton de Bary.

In Strasbourg, Kossel studied under Felix Hoppe-Seyler, a specialist in the field of physiological chemistry. In 1877, he passed the state examination in Rostock, obtained a doctorate in medicine, and returned to Strasbourg to work as an assistant to Hoppe-Seyler at the Institute of Physical Chemistry. Their joint research focused on the diffusion of salts and the digestion of proteins by the enzyme pepsin.

Kossel began studying the chemical components of nuclein, a phosphorus-rich substance discovered by Friedrich Miescher in 1869 in the nuclei of cells found in pus. Ten years later, Kossel isolated nuclein from starch. He and his students then determined that nucleic acids consist of pyrimidine nitrogenous bases, including thymine, cytosine, and uracil. In 1897, Emil Fischer isolated the other major components of nucleic acids - the purine bases adenine and guanine. By the end of the 19th century, the majority of the major components of nucleic acids had been discovered, with the exception of carbohydrate components.

One of Kossel's goals was to link the chemical structure of a cellular substance to its biological activity. By studying the physiological properties of nuclein, he concluded that it played a specific role in tissue growth rather than serving as an energy source for muscle cells. This conclusion was confirmed when Kossel discovered high levels of nuclein in embryonic tissues. In 1883, Kossel was appointed as the director of the chemistry department, and four years later, he became an assistant professor at the Berlin Physiological Institute. Although his teaching responsibilities left little time for scientific work, he continued his research.

Moving to Marburg, Kossel became a professor of physiology and director of the Institute of Physiology. Here, he had more time for research, and scientists from around the world came to collaborate with him. During his studies, Kossel isolated a protein-like substance called histone from goose erythrocyte nuclei. He found that it resembled protamine, which Friedrich Miescher had discovered in fish spermatozoa. Both histones and protamines were found to be simple basic proteins.

In 1901, Kossel replaced Wilhelm Kühne as the director of the Heidelberg Physiological Institute and held this position until his retirement. In 1907, he served as the chairman of the 7th International Congress of Physiologists, which was held in his honor.

Kossel was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1910 for his "contributions to the study of cell chemistry, particularly investigations of proteins, including nucleic substances." At that time, the role of nucleic acids in encoding and transmitting genetic information was still unknown, and Kossel could not anticipate the significance his work would have for genetics. Although he had mentioned in 1893 that chromosomes consisted of nucleic acids and varying amounts of protein, he did not delve into the nature of the hereditary substrate. In 1912, Kossel gave a lecture in which he emphasized the diversity of polypeptides and speculated that the structure of proteins could be the chemical basis for the transmission of genetic information. Kossel also developed the concept of the structural elements of cells, noting that certain substances, such as amino acids, sterols, purines, and pyrimidines, present in all animal and plant cells, serve as the basic building blocks for various physiological processes. Between 1885 and 1901, Kossel, along with his students, discovered several amino acids.

In 1886, Kossel married Louise Holtzman, and they had a daughter and a son together. In 1924, he retired from his position at the Heidelberg Physiological Institute but continued to work at the Protein Chemistry Institute and, under the guidance of Ludwig Krehl, at the newly established Heidelberg Medical Clinic. On July 5, 1927, at the age of 73, he passed away due to cardiac arrest.

Kossel received numerous awards, including honorary degrees from the universities of Cambridge, Dublin, Edinburgh, Ghent, Greifswald, and St. Andrews. He was a member of many scientific institutions, including the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala. For over 30 years, he served as the editor of the "Zeitschrift für Physiologische Chemie" (Journal of Physiological Chemistry).