Skou, Jens C.

Skou, Jens C.

▪ Danish biophysicist
in full  Jens Christian Skou 
born Oct. 8, 1918, Lemvig, Denmark

      Danish biophysicist who (with Paul D. Boyer and John E. Walker) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1997 for his discovery of the enzyme called sodium-potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (adenosine triphosphate) (Na+-K+ ATPase), which is found in the plasma membrane of animal cells and acts as a pump that exchanges sodium (Na+) for potassium (K+).

      Skou studied medicine at the University of Copenhagen and in 1954 earned a doctorate degree at Aarhus University, where he later taught. His research on ion-carrying enzymes was based on the work of Sir Alan Hodgkin and Richard Keynes, who followed the movements of sodium and potassium in a nerve cell following stimulation. The English scientists discovered that upon activation of the neuron, sodium ions flood the cell. The sodium concentration level is restored when ions are transported back across the membrane. This process requires energy, since transport occurs against a concentration gradient (from an area of low concentration to high concentration) and so was believed to require energy in the form of the energy-carrying molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

      In the late 1950s Skou proposed that an enzyme is responsible for the transport of molecules through a cell's membrane. His work with the membranes of nerve cells from crabs led to the discovery of Na+-K+ ATPase. Bound to a cell membrane, Na+-K+ ATPase is activated by external potassium and internal sodium. The enzyme pumps sodium out of the cell and potassium into it, thereby maintaining a high intracellular concentration of potassium and a low concentration of sodium relative to the surrounding external environment. Skou's work led to the discovery of similar ATPase-based enzymes, including the ion pump that controls muscle contraction.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Skou , Jens Christian — (1918–) Danish biologist Skou was educated at the University of Copenhagen. In 1946 he joined the staff of the Institute of Physiology, Aarhus University, where he served as professor of biophysics from 1978 until his retirement in 1988. Skou has …   Scientists

  • Jens C. Skou — Jens Christian Skou Jens Christian Skou (né le 8 octobre 1918 à Lemvig) est un médecin et biophysicien danois. En 1997, il obtint conjointement avec John Ernest Walker et Paul Delos Boyer, le prix Nobel de chimie pour son travail sur l adénosine… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jens Skou — Jens Christian Skou Jens Christian Skou (né le 8 octobre 1918 à Lemvig) est un médecin et biophysicien danois. En 1997, il obtint conjointement avec John Ernest Walker et Paul Delos Boyer, le prix Nobel de chimie pour son travail sur l adénosine… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jens C. Skou — Jens Christian Skou (* 8. Oktober 1918 in Lemvig) ist ein dänischer Mediziner und Biophysiker. Er erhielt 1997 gemeinsam mit John Ernest Walker und Paul Delos Boyer für seine Arbeiten am Adenosintriphosphat (ATP) den Nobelpreis für Chemie.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Jens Skou — Jens Christian Skou (* 8. Oktober 1918 in Lemvig) ist ein dänischer Mediziner und Biophysiker. Er erhielt 1997 gemeinsam mit John Ernest Walker und Paul Delos Boyer für seine Arbeiten am Adenosintriphosphat (ATP) den Nobelpreis für Chemie.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Skou — Jens Christian …   Scientists

  • Jens Christian Skou — Infobox Scientist name = Jens Christian Skou box width = image width =150px caption = Jens Christian Skou birth date = October 8, 1918 birth place = Lemvig death date = death place = residence = citizenship = nationality = Danish ethnicity =… …   Wikipedia

  • Jens Christian Skou — [⁽ˈ⁾jɛns kʰʁæsd̥jæn ˈsg̊ʌʊ̯ˀ] (8 de octubre de 1918, Lemvig, Dinamarca) es un químico y profesor universitario danés ganador del Premio Nobel de Química de 1997. Contenido 1 Biografía 2 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Jens Christian Skou — Jens Christian Skou, 2008 Jens Christian Skou (* 8. Oktober 1918 in Lemvig) ist ein dänischer Mediziner und Biophysiker. Er erhielt 1997 gemeinsam mit John Ernest Walker und Paul Delos Boyer für seine Arbeiten am Adenosintriphosphat (ATP) den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Jens Christian Skou — (8 octobre 1918 à Lemvig, Danemark) est un médecin et biophysicien danois. Il est lauréat de la moitié du prix Nobel de chimie de 1997[1]. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 …   Wikipédia en Français

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