Obituary for Dr. Yoshito Kaziro
2011/07/12
Dr Yoshito Kaziro, the great scientist and mentor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, passed away on June 29, 2011. A-IMBN has very much benefitted from Dr Kaziro, especially his significant role as advisor to editorial board of A-IMBN Research, a joint online publication with Nature Publishing Group, www.natureasia.com/A-IMBN
Please refer to the eulogy for the late Dr Kaziro by Dr Ken-ichi Arai and attached you may find his biography.
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Farewell to Dr. Yoshito Kaziro
Dr. Ken-ichi Arai
Our dearest Kaziro-sensei,
the time has finally come to make farewell to you. Today, thousands researchers of life science in Japan and the world are grieving that you are gone forever from us. We will never forget your warm personality and great contribution to life science and medical research and, here, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank you, along with Dr. Nagata and the students of Kaziro school, for your wonderful and excellent mentorship for all of us.
Our dearest Kaziro-sensei,
you were born as a second son of late Dr. Kozo Kaziro, famous researcher of hemoglobin. Many people recognized your outstanding talent in research when you were graduate student under Dr. Sumio Shimazono, the leader in vitaminology at the Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Tokyo. In 1959, you joined the laboratory of New York University to work with Dr. Severo Ochoa, Nobel laureate and the pioneer in the research of RNA synthesis and genetic code. You made remarkable accomplishment to purify and crystallize biotin-dependent propionyl-CoA carboxylase and named your first child as Shoko i.e. the lady crystal. This enzymological work involving ATP and CoA was cited in ¡°The Enzyme¡± famous textbook of Dixon and you became good friend of Dr. Fritz Lipmann of Rockefeller University, Nobel Laureate in 1953 with his pioneering work of ATP and acetyl-CoA. You maintained life long friendship with colleagues in Dr. Ochoa¡¯s laboratory, Drs. Charles Weissmann and Peter Lengyel. You had the option to establish your own laboratory in US, however, you decided to return to Japan in 1963 with big ambition. Needless to say that the laboratory facilities in Japan at that time were not at the top level.
Our dearest Kaziro-sensei,
I first met you in 1968 in the middle of student turmoil at the universities, just after you established the laboratory at the Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo (IMSUT). After graduating from Medical School, I was wandering to find out how to start basic medical research and life science. You told me smiling in the old office of the 3rd floor of IMSUT with Japanese hand towel in the waist, that you will understand when you devote yourself in the laboratory for 2 years. You showed me the apparatus and the facilities for enzymological work such as ultracentrifuge to fractionate cellular components, gas flow and scintillation counters for isotopic measurements, work place of glassware to make column chromatography, cold room to purify enzymes. I was impressed with the micropipette of 1¥ìl, one thousand times smaller than 1 ml pipette used in chemical research. You told me gently and firmly the importance of contributing to science and medicine using biochemistry and molecular biology. You also mentioned with confidence that, although Japan is not the rich country, your role is to show that we can develop world-class science in Japan as major league player and not as a minor league reserve.
Fateful encounter with superb mentor changed my life and I became your student immediately there and you kindly accepted and welcomed the beginner warmly to the laboratory along with other PhD researchers. More than 40 years had passed and I never forget the days and excitement I cultured Escherichia coli with 200 liter tank of IMSUT, spent many weeks in the cold room to purify protein synthetic enzymes from crude cellular extract, and witnessed the appearance of shining crystalline polypeptide elongation factors after addition of ammonium sulfate. The proposed hypothesis that conformational transition of proteins by inter-conversion of GTP and GDP is the essence of energy transduction was further extended to signal transduction and became your life-long theme and was widely accepted in the world. In 1975, at the symposium to celebrate Dr. Ochoa¡¯s 70 years anniversary, you introduced us to Dr. Arthur Kornberg of Stanford University. The fateful encounter with Arthur and his colleagues at Stanford Biochemistry Department made California as our second homeland and open up our eyes to biotechnology and bioventure in Silicon Valley. I really appreciate your thoughtful consideration and guidance for us. Communication and friendship of Japanese researchers with the members of Kornberg family, Dr. Paul Berg, Dr. Charles Yanofsky and US researchers continued until now. As the important spirit of the laboratory, you adopted ¡°Full Devotion to Science¡±, ¡°Friendly Atmosphere¡±, and ¡°Continuous Excitement¡±, and trained many young researchers with this spirit. Many young people who came here today and those who are unable to come today had similar experience like me and found the way to moving forward. You were the great mentor for the researchers of Japan, Asia and the world.
Our dearest Kaziro-sensei,
The largest and the most difficult challenge in your life was that Mrs. Kuniko Kaziro, your beloved wife passed away by cancer in 1983. For the students of Kaziro school, it was clear that the support of Mrs. Kaziro was indispensable for your research. In looking back those days, I still feel so much pain in my heart. However, you finally overcame difficulties and devoted yourself to train young researchers for 27 years at IMSUT, DNAX, TIT and Kyoto. All of us admire and respect you as an outstanding model of researcher. I learned from you that good science and art share the shining beauty and support each other, and good life science can contribute to mankind through medicine. Kaziro-sensei, you were the best player in the international playground of life science and you were great international citizen. Malignant lymphoma took away your life, however your great spirit will remain forever in all of us. You are now meeting with Drs. Shimazono, Lipmann, Ochoa and Kornberg in the heaven and please continue to encourage young researchers of the future generation. Have wonderful and happy time with your beloved wife Kuniko and enjoy eternal life.
Thank you Kaziro-sensei for guiding us for so many years.
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