PERSPECTIVES RETROSPECTIVE A geneticist championed baker’s yeast as a model system and inspired and trained many Fred Sherman (1932–2013) scientists in the fi eld. Susan W. Liebman1, 2 and James E. Haber 3 red Sherman, a brilliant geneticist gene. Studying gene structure and function who popularized the use of baker’s by genetic approaches inevitably led Fred Fyeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as to investigate gene conversion and to make a genetic model system of eukaryotic cells, important contributions to understanding died on 16 September at the age of 81. mechanisms of recombination. Budding yeast are now used at virtually all The importance of Fred’s work was rec- research centers worldwide, largely due to ognized by his election to the U.S. National Fred’s efforts and mentoring of many of the Academy of Sciences in 1985, his receipt of leaders in the fi eld. Indeed, Randy Schek- an honorary doctorate from the University man, who shared this year’s Nobel Prize in of Minnesota in 2002, and his election as a Physiology or Medicine, was introduced to fellow of the American Association for the yeast in the Cold Spring Harbor course that Advancement of Science in 2006. In 2006, Fred taught for 17 summers with his friend he also was awarded the George W. Beadle and colleague Gerald Fink. Many students Award from the Genetics Society of Amer- and postdoctoral fellows who were trained in ica in honor of his outstanding contributions Fred’s own laboratory also helped shape the to the community of genetics researchers. fi eld of yeast genetics. Fred taught by exam- Fred’s impact on the scientifi c commu- ple how to think about science, how to do it, nity extends far beyond his individual sci- and how to enjoy it. He lived life fully, with entific achievements and organized ser- joy, humor, and dance (ballet), and without vice on editorial and society boards and ever really separating life from science. scientific review panels. Unlike many Fred was born in 1932 in Minneapolis, leading scientists, Fred answered his own Minnesota, to Jewish Ukrainian immigrant the DNA sequence of the fi rst 15 amino acids telephone, where he spent hours each parents. The family lived in a few rooms of the yeast gene CYC1, which encodes iso- week helping colleagues with all sorts of behind his father’s grocery store. “Freddie” 1-cytochrome c. He did this by isolating and scientifi c problems. In these and other con- (the name on his birth certifi cate) grew up fi ne-structure mapping many CYC1 muta- versations, he might ask seemingly naïve thinking he was one of richest kids in the tions and reverting nonfunctional mutations questions and then come up with stunningly world because, unlike his friends, he always back to functional, pseudo–wild-type pro- profound suggestions. Fred promoted a cul- had enough to eat. Fred graduated magna teins. Changes in these revertants could be ture of sharing ideas, reagents, and strains cum laude with a B.A. in chemistry from identifi ed by sequencing the amino terminus that is still prevalent in the yeast commu- the University of Minnesota in 1953. He of these proteins, using the laborious chemi- nity. He loved to travel and shared his ideas obtained his Ph.D. with Robert Mortimer cal process of Edman degradation, carried all over the world at conferences and at uni- at the University of California, Berkeley out with the help of his long-time collabora- versities where he visited colleagues and in 1958, where he was introduced to yeast tor, John Stewart. The pattern of amino acid gave many seminars. He welcomed many and then studied with two other founding changes from single mutants allowed Fred of the students he met abroad into his labo- yeast geneticists, Herschel Roman at the to establish that the genetic code used in ratory for a year or two of critical training University of Washington in Seattle, and eukaryotes was the same in all key respects before they returned to their home country Boris Ephrussi at the Lab Genetique, Gif- with the code that had been deciphered pri- for successful careers. sur-Yvette, France. In 1961, Fred took a fac- marily in genetic and biochemical studies No reflection of Fred Sherman would ulty position at the University of Rochester with the bacterium Escherichia coli and its be complete without mention of his inclu- in the Department of Radiation Biology and bacteriophages. He established that AUG siveness. He ate lunch with his students and Biophysics, where he remained for his entire was the only start codon in eukaryotic pro- postdocs most days. Fred used his famous career and served as chair of the Department tein translation and that UAA, UAG, and wit and humor to make people feel included of Biochemistry for 15 years. He often said UGA were chain-terminating “nonsense” and comfortable. For example, he would of this job, “I can’t believe they are paying mutations. He also identifi ed transfer RNA break the ice with a lonely graduate stu- me to do this!” genes by isolating extragenic suppressors of dent at a meeting by asking “How are you A long time before DNA could be the nonsense mutations and determining the doing?” The surprised student would often sequenced, Fred devised a method to deduce amino acid inserted at the nonsense codon. respond “I’m fi ne, how are you?” to which His work deciphered the rules for transcrip- Fred would say “Well, I think I’m fantastic. 1University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 2Depart- tional starts and termination. His deduction … But not everyone agrees with me.” ment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of of the CYC1 DNA sequence led to the syn- Fred Sherman was an exemplary scien- Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. 3Department of Biology and Rosen- thesis of a synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleo- tist. His memory is a blessing for us all. stiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis Uni- versity, Waltham, MA, USA. E-mail: [email protected]; tide that could for the fi rst time identify the 10.1126/science.1248055 CREDIT: COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER COURTESY CREDIT: [email protected] messenger RNA of a specifi c yeast protein www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL 342 29 NOVEMBER 2013 1059 Published by AAAS.