Yasutomi Nishizuka | |
---|---|
Born |
Ashiya, Hyōgo |
July 12, 1932
Died | November 4, 2004 | (aged 72)
Nationality | Japan |
Fields | biochemistry |
Institutions | Kobe University, Kyoto University, Rockefeller University |
Alma mater | Kyoto University |
Doctoral advisor | Osamu Hayaishi |
Other academic advisors | Fritz Lipmann |
Known for | protein kinase C |
Notable awards | Asahi Prize (1985) Gairdner Foundation International Award (1988) Albert Lasker Award (1989) Kyoto Prize (1992) Wolf Prize in Medicine (1994/95) |
Yasutomi Nishizuka (西塚 泰美 Nishizuka Yasutomi?, July 12, 1932 – November 4, 2004) was a Japanese biochemist who discovered protein kinase C and made important contribution to the understanding of molecular mechanism of signal transduction across the cell membrane.
Nishizuka was born in 1932 at Ashiya-city in Japan. He obtained his M.D. from the Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, in 1957. Then, he completed his PhD degree from Kyoto University under the supervision of Osamu Hayaishi in 1962. After completing his studies in Japan, he spent one year as a postdoctoral fellow in Fritz Lipmann's laboratory at the Rockefeller University.
From 1962 to 1964, Nishizuka was the Research Associate at Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University. From 1964 to 1968, he was an Associate Professor at the Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University.
From 1969 to 2004, he was the professor and chairman of the Department of Biochemistry, Kobe University School of Medicine. He also served as the president of Kobe University.
Nishizuka is known for the construction of the fundamental concepts of the intracellular signal transduction cascade through his discovery of protein kinase C, also known as C kinase, and his analysis of its function, which revealed a new intracellular signal transduction system and elucidated the regulatory mechanisms involved in many biological phenomena, including cancer cell growth.