Samuel Victor Perry
Samuel Victor Perry | |
---|---|
Born | Isle of Wight, England | 16 July 1918
Died | 17 December 2009 Pembrokeshire, Wales | (aged 91)
Education | University of Liverpool, University of Cambridge |
Known for | Myosin light chain phosphorylation |
Spouse | Maureen Shaw |
Children | Three |
Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Muscle biochemistry |
Institutions | University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham |
Samuel Victor Perry
Perry's later career saw him serve on several of the British research councils, and working with the charities the
Early life and education
Samuel Perry was born on the Isle of Wight in 1918, and spent his early years in King's Lynn. His family moved to Southport,[2] where he received his secondary education at the town's grammar school, King George V School.[4] His father died of a heart condition when Perry was 13, and his mother struggled to financially support his university education.[5]
After schooling in
Military career
Perry joined the
Despite his numerous failed attempts, Perry managed never to lose a copy of Annual Review of Biochemistry of 1942, volume 11, sent to him through the aid of the Red Cross. He lectured within the prison camps, and ran courses on biochemistry and agricultural chemistry.[2] He was eventually liberated by the United States Army, and on his return to Britain was discharged from the army.
Biochemistry career
Back in Britain, Perry took a post at the
He took a post at the
In 1959, just before his move to Birmingham, he purchased Felin-Werndew a ruined 18th century cornmill in Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire in Wales.[5] This became a massive project, and required major conversions and landscaping. During the 1960s he persuaded his students to help improve his home and its gardens as part of their "PhD research".[2] After his retirement, he and wife Maureen moved permanently to the mill in Wales.
In March 1974, he was made a
Academic research
After spending his postdoctoral period in America, Perry returned to Cambridge. Using his expertise in manipulating muscle tissue combined with his biochemical knowledge, he was able to isolate myofibril in an uncontracted state, and from that he was able to characterize their protein components.[6] Further observation of the myofibrils, and the crude preparations of the extracted contractile protein actins and myosins taken from them, showed that they required trace levels of calcium for contractile activity.[6] Perry then used the calcium chelator EGTA to confirm that calcium was essential for the regulation of muscle contraction. This was a major breakthrough in the understanding of how muscle contractions are regulated. Seven years later Setsuro Ebashi, identified the factor responsible for calcium sensitivity in muscles, which he called troponin.[6]
Perry furthered his research by isolating the 'head' fragment of myosin by fractionating the myosin and its proteolytic fragments. He called this fragment subfragment-1.[6] This research established Perry as one of the leading figures in the muscle field, and in 1959 he was invited to head a new Biochemistry department at Birmingham University.[2] In Birmingham he and his team focused on the calcium regulatory troponin complex in skeletal muscle. They were able to isolate and then characterize the troponin, troponin I. This in turn led to the development of antibodies for muscle tissue typing which led to improved method of detecting heart muscle damage.[6]
Perry continued his research at Birmingham, and spent considerable research on myosin light chain phosphorylation. Although he and his team were unable to establish the precise function of regulatory light chains in vertebrate skeletal and cardiac myosins, it laid the foundation for a whole new field of regulation of how phosphorylation regulates movement in smooth muscle and in non-muscle cells.[6]
Rugby career
Perry began his Rugby career at KGV in
While a student at the University of Cambridge, Perry joined the university rugby union team. He played in two Varsity Matches in 1946 and 1947, and impressed enough to draw the attention of the RFU board of selectors. He was first capped for his country for the 1947 Five Nations Championship, in a match against Wales, the first match for England since 1939. Due to the passage of time between the start of the war and recommencement of games, only Dick Guest of England had any prior international experience. Despite Perry appearing in a completely uncapped pack, the forwards played brilliantly and an unfancied England won 9–6.[8] Perry played in one more match of the 1947 tournament, an away game to Ireland, which England lost comprehensively.
Perry was next selected in early 1948 to face the touring Australia team. England lost the game 11–0, with the opposing locks dominating the line-out play. Although Perry had faced defeat with England, four weeks later he was selected to face the same Australian side as part of invitational team the Barbarians, in their first match against overseas international opposition.[9] Played at the Cardiff Arms Park, the Barbarians won 9–6.
Despite the England loss to Australia, Perry was back in the squad for the 1948 Five Nations Championship, playing in all four encounters. It was a disaster of a campaign for England, drawing against Wales, and losing to Ireland, Scotland and France, and ending bottom of the league. Perry never represented his country further, deciding to concentrate on his academic career instead.
Personal life
Perry married Maureen Shaw, an actress and artist, in 1948. In 1959 they purchased a derelict watermill in West Wales, and renovated it over several years. They settled at the watermill permanently after his retirement. The couple had three children.
He died on 17 December 2009, survived by his wife and three children.[5]
References
- S2CID 71708157.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Professor Sam Perry". The Telegraph. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ^ Samuel Perry player profile Scrum.com
- ^ Marshall, Howard; Jordon, J.P. (1951). Oxford v Cambridge, The Story of the University Rugby Match. London: Clerke & Cockeran. p. 255.
- ^ a b c "Professor Samuel Perry: Muscle research biochemist". Times online. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Samuel Victor Perry FRS (1918–2009)" (PDF). Biochemical Society. February 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ^ "No. 35230". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 July 1941. pp. 4349–4351.
- ISBN 0002180065.
- ISBN 0-86007-552-4.