Title:

Letter from Joshua Lederberg to Michael Heidelberger

Creator:

Lederberg, Joshua

Recipient:

Heidelberger, Michael

Date:

12 November 1956

Description:

In this exchange between Heidelberger and the molecular geneticist Joshua Lederberg, the two agree on the need to elucidate in detail the chemical composition and three-dimensional structure of pneumococcal and other antigenic polysaccharides, a need Heidelberger was addressing at the time through his examination of immunological cross-reactions. Such cross-reactions, in which antigens react with certain non-homologous antibodies (antibodies formed against another antigen with which the first antigen shares closely-related or identical antigenic determinants, a site on the surface of an antigen molecule to which a single antibody binds), told organic chemists like Heidelberger much about the arrangement of the sugars in the repeating chemical units of polysaccharides, which in turn determined their immunological properties.. In this exchange between Heidelberger and the molecular geneticist Joshua Lederberg, the two agree on the need to elucidate in detail the chemical composition and three-dimensional structure of pneumococcal and other antigenic polysaccharides, a need Heidelberger was addressing at the time through his examination of immunological cross-reactions. Such cross-reactions, in which antigens react with certain non-homologous antibodies (antibodies formed against another antigen with which the first antigen shares closely-related or identical antigenic determinants, a site on the surface of an antigen molecule to which a single antibody binds), told organic chemists like Heidelberger much about the arrangement of the sugars in the repeating chemical units of polysaccharides, which in turn determined their immunological properties.

Location:

Box: 4. Folder: 1

Rights:

Public Domain

Genre:

Letters (correspondence)

Subject:

Polysaccharides and Molecular Structure

Format:

Text

Extent:

1 pages

Relation:

Letter from Michael Heidelberger to Joshua Lederberg, 1956
Letter from Joshua Lederberg to Michael Heidelberger, 1956

Language:

English

Legacy ID:

DHBBML

NLM ID:

101584940X192

Profiles Collection:

The Michael Heidelberger Papers

Shareable Link:

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/101584940X192

Story Section:

"If I Have a Few More Years to Work, I'm Going Ahead": An Active Retirement, 1954-1991