British chemist who was corecipient, with Paul D. Boyer, of the Nobel
Prize for Chemistry in 1997 for their explanation of the enzymatic process
that creates adenosine triphosphate (ATP). (Danish chemist Jens C. Skou
also shared the award for separate research on the molecule.) In the early 1980s Walker began studying ATP synthase--the central
energy-producing molecule in most life forms--which aides in the synthesis
of ATP, the carrier of chemical energy. Focusing on the chemical and
structural composition of the enzyme, he determined the sequence of
amino acids that make up the synthase's protein units. In the 1990s,
working with X-ray crystallographers, Walker clarified the three-dimensional
structure of the enzyme. His work supported Boyer's "binding change
mechanism," which explained the unusual way in which the enzyme
functions. Walker's findings offer insight into the way life forms produce
energy. |
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