1922-1993

American Biochemist

In 1968 Robert W. Holley shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology with Har Gobind Khorana (1922- ) and Marshall W. Nirenberg (1927- ) "for their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis." Holley's work provided insight into the mechanism the cell uses to translate the information in the genetic code into essential proteins. Holley was one of the discoverers of the special type of nucleic acid called transfer-RNA. Having developed techniques for determining the structure of nucleic acids, Holley isolated alanine transfer RNA and determined the total sequence of nucleotides in this polynucleotide chain. This work represented the first determination of the complete chemical structure of a biologically active nucleic acid.

Holley was born in Urbana, Illinois, but he also lived in California and Idaho during his youth and developed a love of the outdoors and an interest...