Bonner, James

Bonner, James (Frederick)

(1910– ) molecular biologist; born in Ansley, Nebr. He was a National Research Council fellow in Switzerland (1934–35), then joined the California Institute of Technology (1936–81). His early research on ribosomes (1950s) led to his major contributions to studies of messenger RNA. Using dormant potato buds, he demonstrated that repressed genes can be "derepressed" by removing their chromosomes' histone protein covering. He was a prolific author of scientific papers, texts on plant physiology and biochemistry, and books on the future of plant physiology and molecular biology.