Günter Blobel

Günter Blobel (1936–2018) was a German-American cell biologist who established that proteins carry intrinsic signals directing them to particular destinations within cells.

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Signal hypothesis: The proposal that proteins contain amino-acid sequences directing their transport to specific cellular locations. Blobel formulated this framework to explain how proteins are sorted inside cells.
Rockefeller University: A New York research university focused on biomedical science. Blobel conducted much of his landmark cell-biological research there.
David Sabatini: An Argentine-American cell biologist who studied membrane-bound ribosomes and protein secretion. Sabatini and Blobel collaborated on early experiments linking ribosomes to secretory proteins.
Protein targeting: The directed delivery of proteins to particular cellular compartments or membranes. Blobel’s discovery supplied the principle that makes this process intelligible.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1999: The 1999 Nobel award recognizing Günter Blobel’s discovery of protein-intrinsic targeting signals. The award marked the international recognition of his central finding.
Signal peptide: A short amino-acid sequence that directs a protein to a cellular membrane or secretory pathway. Blobel’s work showed how an amino-terminal signal can guide proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum.
George Palade: A Romanian-American cell biologist who established foundational methods for studying cell structure and secretion. Palade’s laboratory at Rockefeller provided the setting for Blobel’s early work.
Bernard Dobberstein: A German cell biologist whose research helped establish how proteins are targeted to and translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum. His collaboration with Blobel tested key steps in signal-directed protein transport.
Mitochondrial targeting sequence: An amino-acid sequence that directs a protein to mitochondria, often for import into the organelle. It is a distinct targeting signal illustrating the reach of Blobel’s principle.
Intracellular trafficking: The movement of molecules between compartments within a cell. Blobel’s work supplied a molecular basis for understanding how proteins enter intracellular routes.