TRENDS IN THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF NERVE 



ACTIVITY* 



DAVID NACHMANSOHN and IRWIN B. WILSON, Department 



of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, 



Columbia University, New York 



Developments in the Biochemical Approach to Cellular Function 



At the turn of this century virtually nothing was known 

 about the chemical reactions associated with cellular function. 

 Information about cells was limited to knowledge of anatomical 

 structure, a number of chemical constituents, and those aspects 

 of function which could be studied and recorded by physical 

 methods. Enzyme chemistry was just in its beginning. The 

 development of chemistry at an ever-increasing rate changed 

 the situation. The progress of organic, physical, and protein 

 chemistry, especially the spectacular advance of enzyme chemis- 

 try along with the elaboration of micromethods and isotope tech- 

 niques, the introduction of physical methods for the study of 

 proteins such as ultracentrifugation and electrophoresis, and 

 various other advances form the basis of what is referred to today 

 as dynamic biochemistry. Discussions of these developments 



* The investigations of this Laboratory, upon which a large part of this 

 Discussion is based, have been supported in part by the Medical Research and 

 Development Board, Department of the Army, Office of the Surgeon General, 

 Contract No. DA-49-007-MD-37, and in part by the Division of Research 

 Grants and Fellowships of the National Institutes of Health, Grants No. B-573 

 and B-400, United States Public Health Service, and by the Atomic Energy 

 Commission. Contract No. AT (30-l)-1503. 



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