Background
Tatum, Edward Lawrie was born on December 14, 1909 in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Son of Arthur Lawrie and Mabel (Webb) Tatum.
Tatum, Edward Lawrie was born on December 14, 1909 in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Son of Arthur Lawrie and Mabel (Webb) Tatum.
Bachelor of Arts, Univercity Wisconsin, 1931. Master of Science, 1932, Doctor of Philosophy, 1934, also honorary degree. Honorary degrees U. Notre Dame, Rutgers University, Trinity College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Yeshiva University, Northwestern University.
The other half of that year"s award went to Joshua Lederberg. Beadle and Tatum"s key experiments involved exposing the bread mold Neurospora crassa to x-rays, causing mutations. In a series of experiments, they showed that these mutations caused changes in specific enzymes involved in metabolic pathways.
These experiments, published in 1941, led them to propose a direct link between genes and enzymatic reactions, known as the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis.
Tatum went on to study genetics in bacteria. An active area of research in his laboratory was to understand the basis of Tryptophan biosynthesis in Escherichia coli.
Later, Tatum and his student Joshua Lederberg showed that East. coli could share genetic information through recombination. Tatum was born in Boulder, Colorado.
He attended college at the University of Chicago and received his Doctor of Philosophy in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1934.
Starting in 1937, he worked at Stanford University, where he began his collaboration with Beadle. He then moved to Yale University in 1945 where he mentored Lederberg. He returned to Stanford in 1948 and then joined the faculty of Rockefeller Institute in 1957.
A heavy cigarette smoker, he died in New York City of heart failure complicated by chronic emphysema.
Member-professor Rockefeller U. 1957-1975. Member American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, American Philosophy Society, American Society Biological Chemists, Botanical Society American, Genetics Society, National Academy Science, National Science Board.
Member editorial boards professional journals.
Married June Alton, 1934. Married second, Viola Kantor, 1956. Children: Margaret Carol, Barbara Annual