Minor J. Coon

Minor Jesser Coon (July 29, 1921 – September 5, 2018)[1] was an American biochemist and Victor V Vaughan Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.[2] He is best known for his research on cytochrome P-450[3][4][5] and as the co-discoverer of HMG-CoA, along with Bimal Kumar Bachhawat.[6][7][8][9] He died on September 5, 2018 from complications due to Alzheimer's disease.[1]

Professor Emeritus

Minor J. Coon

Ph.D.
Born
Minor Jesser Coon

(1921-07-29)July 29, 1921
Englewood, Colorado, U.S.
DiedSeptember 5, 2018(2018-09-05) (aged 97)
Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Other namesJud
Alma materUniversity of Colorado, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Known forStudy of cytochrome P-450
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Doctoral advisorWilliam C. Rose

Early life and education

Coon was born in Englewood, Colorado in 1921. He was an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado and received his bachelor's degree with honors in 1943.[10] He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1946, supervised by William Cumming Rose. During his graduate work he studied amino acid metabolism and nitrogen balance using himself and his fellow students as volunteer subjects.[3][11]

Academic career

After a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois, Coon became a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania in 1947. He moved to the University of Michigan Medical School in 1955 and remained there for the remainder of his career, chairing the biological chemistry department from 1970 to 1990 and becoming the Victor V. Vaughan Distinguished University Professor of Biological Chemistry in 1983. Coon served as the president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 1991 to 1992.[3] He became a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1983 and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1984. A biological chemistry professorship in his honor was established at the University of Michigan in 1991.[2]

Coon mentored many graduate students and promoted teaching along with research, including David Ballou and Tetsufumi Ueda [12][13] The Minor J. and Mary Lou Coon Award was established by him and his wife, to recognize an outstanding graduate student in biological chemistry at the University of Michigan who excels at teaching, research, and service.

Interests

Coon was a patron of the arts.

Awards and honors

Coon has received a number of awards in recognition of his scientific achievements.[2]

References
  1. "Minor "Jud" Jesser Coon - View Obituary & Service Information". Minor "Jud" Jesser Coon Obituary. Archived from the original on 2018-09-13. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  2. "Minor Coon, Ph.D." University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  3. Kresge, Nicole; Simoni, Robert D.; Hill, Robert L. "The Purification of Cytochrome P-450 and Its Isozymes: the Work of Minor J. Coon". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 281 (47): e38.
  4. Sies, Helmut (March 2011). "Tribute to Professor Minor J. Coon". Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 507 (1): 3. doi:10.1016/j.abb.2011.01.025. PMID 21324388.
  5. Porter, T. D. (1 January 2004). "Jud Coon: 35 Years of P450 Research, A Synopsis of P450 History". Drug Metabolism and Disposition. 32 (1): 1–6. doi:10.1124/dmd.32.1.1. PMID 14709613.
  6. Debi P. Sarkar (2015). "Classics in Indian Medicine" (PDF). The National Medical Journal of India (28): 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-05-31.
  7. Avadhesha Surolia (1997). "An outstanding scientist and a splendid human being" (PDF). Glycobiology. 7 (4): v–ix. doi:10.1093/glycob/7.4.453.
  8. "Deceased Fellow". Indian National Science Academy. 2016. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  9. Debus, Allen G. (1968). World Who's who in Science: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Scientists from Antiquity to the Present. Marquis-Who's Who.
  10. "Coon Obituary". MLive. October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  11. Coon, M. J. (5 June 2002). "Enzyme Ingenuity in Biological Oxidations: a Trail Leading to Cytochrome P450". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 277 (32): 28351–28363. doi:10.1074/jbc.R200015200. PMID 12050174.
  12. "Department of Biological Chemistry Newsletter 2003" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-12-13.
  13. "Minor J. Coon PhD". Retrieved 2018-12-13.
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