Hugh Huxley

Hugh Esmor Huxley (25 February 1924 – 25 July

2013) was a British molecular biologist who made Hugh Huxley
MBE FRS
important discoveries in the physiology of
muscle.[1][2][3][4][5][6] He was a graduate in physics
from Christ's College, Cambridge. However, his
education was interrupted for five years by the Second
World War, during which he served in the Royal Air
Force. His contribution to development of radar earned
him an MBE.

Huxley was the first PhD student of Laboratory of

Molecular Biology of the Medical Research Council at
Cambridge, where he worked on X-ray diffraction
studies on muscle fibres. In the 1950s he was one of Born Hugh Esmor Huxley
the first to use electron microscopy to study biological 25 February 1924
specimens. During his postdoctoral at Massachusetts Birkenhead, Cheshire,
Institute of Technology, he, with fellow researcher Jean England
Hanson, discovered the underlying principle of muscle Died 25 July 2013 (aged 89)
movement, popularised as the sliding filament theory Woods Hole, Massachusetts,
in 1954. After 15 years of research, he proposed the US
"swinging cross-bridge hypothesis" in 1969, which Education Christ's College, Cambridge
became modern understanding of the molecular basis Cambridge University (PhD)
of muscle contraction, and much of other cellular Known for Muscle contraction
motility.[7][8] Muscle proteins

Huxley worked at University College London for Spouse Frances Huxley

seven years, and at Laboratory of Molecular Biology Awards William Bate Hardy Prize
for fifteen years, where he was its Deputy Director (1966)
from 1979. Between 1987 and 1997, he was professor Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize
at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, where he (1971)
spent the rest of his life as emeritus professor. Royal Medal (1977)
E.B. Wilson Medal (1983)
Albert Einstein World Award of
Education Science (1987)
Franklin Medal (1990)
Huxley studied physics at Christ's College, Cambridge Copley Medal (1997)
in 1941. During his second year, his education was Scientific career
interrupted by the Second World War, and he joined
Fields Molecular Biologist
the Royal Air Force as a radar officer. He worked on
Institutions Massachusetts Institute of
the development of radar equipment during 1943 to
Technology
1947, for which he was later honoured a Member of
the Order of the British Empire (MBE). His expertise University College London
in mechanical and electrical devices became useful MRC Laboratory of Molecular
throughout his scientific career. After completing his Biology
service, he returned to Cambridge for his final year, Brandeis University
and he received his BA in physics in 1948. The war Doctoral John Kendrew
had completely diminished his interest in physics, advisor
particularly on the horrors of atomic bombings of
Military career
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He therefore joined
Cambridge University to become the first PhD student Allegiance United Kingdom
in a newly formed Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Service / Royal Air Force
then a small Medical Research Council (MRC) unit branch (RAFVR)
founded by Max Perutz and John Kendrew, who Years of 1943–1947
supervised him. (The LMB was then a small "hut" near service
the famous Cavendish Laboratory.) He was initially
Rank Flight Lieutenant
given X-ray analysis of proteins, but he turned to
muscle. (The protein study was given to the other Battles / Second World War
student Francis Crick, of the eventual DNA fame.) wars
From there he earned his PhD in 1952 in molecular Awards Member of the Order of the
biology. For his thesis titled Investigations in British Empire (MBE, Military
Biological Structures by X-Ray Methods. The Structure Division)
of Muscle, he used low-angle, X-ray scattering of live
muscle fibers.[9]

Career
Following his PhD, Huxley continued research on the structure and function of muscle. Since Cambridge
did not have electron microscopy, which began to be used for biological studies at the time, he went to
Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral fellow on a Commonwealth Fellowship in late
summer of 1952. He work in F. O. Schmitt's laboratory where he was joined by Jean Hanson in 1953.
Their collaboration proved to be fruitful as they discovered the so-called "sliding filament theory" of
muscle contraction. Their publication in the 22 May 1954 issue of Nature became a landmark in muscle
physiology.[10][11] He returned to MRC unit of Cambridge in the late spring of 1954. Using X-ray
diffraction he found the molecular interaction in the muscle fibres. The LMB was then equipped with
electron microscope, but still had technical issues. Knowing his potential the University College London
appointed him to the faculty, and moved there to join Bernard Katz's biophysics department in 1955. For
his purpose he was bought a new electron microscope with fund from the Wellcome Trust. His innovative
contribution was making a modified version of thin-sectioning microtome, by which he could make
histological sections of only 100–150 Å in thickness. Based on his LMB X-ray diffraction images, the
new technique immediately helped him to establish the cross-bridge concept (interaction site of the
muscle proteins, myosin and actin).[12] As the MRC unit was enlarged he was invited back in 1962, with
a research fellowship at King's College for five years and then a more permanent one at Churchill
College. He became the joint Head of the Structural Studies Division of the LMB in 1975, and its Deputy
Director in 1979. In 1969, on the basis of his work over more than 15 years, he finally formulated the
"swinging cross-bridge hypothesis" of muscle contraction,[13] which is the molecular basis of muscle
contraction.[14] The concept itself became directly fundamental to other types of cell motility.[7] In 1987
he joined the biology faculty at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he also served as
Director of the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, and becoming emeritus from 1997
until his death.[15]

Awards and honours

He was made an MBE in 1948. He was elected member of Fellow of the Royal Society in 1960 (the
youngest member at that time) and also won one of its Royal Medals in 1977 and its Copley Medal in
1997.[16] He was awarded the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University in 1971. The U.S.
National Academy of Sciences appointed him as a Foreign Associate in 1978. He also received the
William Bate Hardy Prize in 1966, Antonio Feltrinelli Prize, E. B. Wilson Medal of the American Society
for Cell Biology in 1983, and the Franklin Medal in 1990. He was conferred the Albert Einstein World
Award of Science in 1987 for his contributions to molecular biology, notably his classic work in the field
of muscle biology.[17]

Huxley was a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association. He was among the 43
scientists and philosophers who signed the BHA letter in March 2002 to Prime Minister Tony Blair
deploring the teaching of creationism in schools. He also advocated Charles Darwin’s birthday as public
holiday, and curricular reforms in elementary science education.[18]

Death
Huxley died of heart attack on 25 July 2013 in his home in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.[6][19][20] He is
survived by his wife, Frances, his daughter, Olwen, and stepchildren, Bill, Glenway, and Amy Fripp.[21]

References
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18344–18345. Bibcode:2013PNAS..11018344H (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013PN
AS..11018344H). doi:10.1073/pnas.1318966110 (https://doi.org/10.1073%2Fpnas.1318966
110). PMC 3832017 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3832017).
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am.ac.uk/news/professor-hugh-esmor-huxley-mbe-frs) on 16 September 2013. Retrieved
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3. The Official Site of Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/horwitz/)
4. Hugh Huxley, editor "Memories and Consequences: Visiting Scientists at the MRC
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184831-646-1. This book is collection of 41 essays by some of the many visiting scientists to
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5. John Finch; 'A Nobel Fellow On Every Floor', Medical Research Council 2008, 381 pp,
ISBN 978-1-84046-940-0; this book is all about the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology,
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External links
Hugh Huxley's Short Talk: "How Muscle Contracts" (https://www.ibiology.org/cell-biology/mu
scles-contract/)

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