Bruce Beutler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bruce Beutler
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University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2021
Photograph by Brian Coats |
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| Born | December 29, 1957 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago, University of California, San Diego |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Lanzl (c. 1980-1988; divorced; 3 children) |
| Awards | 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Immunology |
| Institutions | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center |
Bruce Alan Beutler (born December 29, 1957) is an American scientist. He studies how our body's defense system works (called immunology) and how traits are passed down through genes (called genetics).
In 2011, he won half of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He shared this big award with Jules A. Hoffmann. They won for finding out how our body's first line of defense, called innate immunity, gets started. Dr. Beutler found a key part of our cells, called Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). This part helps our body sense harmful substances from germs.
The other half of the Nobel Prize went to Ralph M. Steinman. He was honored for discovering a type of immune cell called the dendritic cell and its role in our body's longer-term defense system.
Today, Bruce Beutler works as a professor and director at the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense. This center is part of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bruce Beutler was born in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in Southern California, living there from age 2 to 18. He spent a lot of time hiking in mountains and national parks. These experiences made him very interested in living things and biology.
From age 14 to 18, he worked in his father's lab at the City of Hope National Medical Center. There, he learned how to study proteins and enzymes in blood cells. He even published his first scientific papers when he was just 17! He also worked with Susumu Ohno, a geneticist who studied how genes work and how animals develop.
Bruce Beutler was a very smart student. He finished high school at 16 and got his bachelor's degree from the University of California, San Diego at 18. He then went to medical school at the University of Chicago, earning his M.D. degree at 23. Even though he trained as a doctor, he found laboratory science more exciting and decided to focus on research.
What Did Bruce Beutler Discover?
How Did He Find Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)?
Bruce Beutler's work on the body's defenses began in the 1980s. He was studying a substance called "cachectin" that was thought to cause weight loss in sick people. He worked to purify this substance from immune cells.
He found that cachectin was actually the same as a protein called tumor necrosis factor (TNF). At the time, TNF was only known for its ability to kill cancer cells. But Dr. Beutler showed that TNF also played a big role in causing inflammation and shock, especially in serious infections.
He proved this by creating an antibody that could block TNF in mice. When mice were given a harmful bacterial substance, blocking TNF helped them survive. This discovery was very important because it showed that TNF causes many inflammatory diseases. Later, medicines that block TNF were developed to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.
How Did He Find the LPS Receptor?
Dr. Beutler was very interested in how bacteria trigger our immune system. He wanted to find the specific "receptor" on our cells that recognizes a harmful bacterial substance called lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Scientists had been looking for this receptor for a long time.
Starting in 1993, he spent five years searching for the gene responsible. He studied thousands of mice to find the gene that, when changed, made mice unable to sense LPS. He discovered that the gene was called Tlr4. This gene makes a protein called Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4).
His research showed that TLR4 is a key part of the cell's "alarm system" that recognizes LPS from bacteria. This was a huge breakthrough! It meant that TLR4 was the long-sought LPS receptor.
What Are Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs)?
After Dr. Beutler's discovery, scientists realized that other similar proteins, called Toll-like receptors (TLRs), also act as sensors for different parts of germs. There are ten known TLRs in humans. Each TLR can recognize specific molecules from microbes, like bacteria, viruses, or fungi.
When TLRs sense these microbial molecules, they trigger an immediate immune response. This is part of our innate immune system, which is our body's first and fastest defense against infections. TLRs help our body fight off invaders, but they can also cause problems like fever and inflammation if they are overactive.
How Does He Find New Genes for Immunity?
After finding the TLR4 gene, Dr. Beutler continued to use a special method to find other genes important for immunity. He would create small, random changes (mutations) in the genes of mice. Then, he would look for mice that had problems with their immune system. By finding the changed gene, he could learn what that gene normally does.
This method helped him discover many important molecules needed for our immune system to work. For example, he found a gene called Ticam1, which makes a protein called TRIF. This protein is important for how TLRs 3 and 4 send signals inside the cell.
He also found a gene called Unc93b1. Mice with changes in this gene had problems with TLRs 3, 7, and 9, which are TLRs that sense genetic material from viruses. Later, it was found that humans with changes in this same gene can get severe infections, like repeated Herpes simplex virus brain infections.
His lab has found many genes that affect how our body fights infections and how it responds to inflammation. This work helps us understand how diseases happen and how to develop new treatments.
What is Automated Meiotic Mapping?
Finding these changed genes used to be a very slow process. In 2013, Dr. Beutler invented a new method called Automated Meiotic Mapping (AMM). This method makes finding the changed genes much faster. It uses special computer programs to quickly identify which specific gene change is causing a problem in the mice.
AMM has made it possible to find many new immune problems, as well as issues with bones, vision, and metabolism. It has also helped scientists find genes related to conditions like autism and diabetes. This new method helps scientists understand how many different genes can work together to cause or prevent diseases.
Awards and Recognition
Awards
- 1993 - Alexander von Humboldt Fellow
- 2004 - Robert Koch Prize (shared with Jules A. Hoffmann and Shizuo Akira)
- 2006 - William B. Coley Award (shared with Shizuo Akira)
- 2007 - Balzan Prize (shared with Jules A. Hoffmann)
- 2009 - Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research (shared with Charles A. Dinarello and Ralph M. Steinman)
- 2011 - Shaw Prize (shared with Jules A. Hoffmann and Ruslan M. Medzhitov)
- 2011 - Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with Jules A. Hoffmann and Ralph M. Steinman)
Honorary Degrees
Bruce Beutler has also received many honorary doctoral degrees from universities around the world, recognizing his important scientific contributions.
Family
Bruce Beutler is the third son of Ernest and Brondelle May Beutler. His father, Ernest Beutler, was also a famous scientist who studied blood diseases and genetics. Bruce and his father even worked together on some projects.
Bruce Beutler married Barbara Lanzl in 1980, and they had three sons before divorcing in 1988.
See also
In Spanish: Bruce Beutler para niños
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
