John E. WalkerBorn 7 Jan 1941.John Ernest Walker is a British chemist who shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1997 for his pioneering work on how the enzyme ATP synthase catalyses the formation of the “high-energy”compound adenosine triphosphate (ATP). These molecules of ATP function as a carrier of energy in all living organisms, whether simple bacteria, fungus or plant life, or higher animals and humans. ATP takes in the chemical energy released when nutrients are metabolized, and carries that energy to the various reactions that require energy. Such reactions include cell-building, the contraction of muscle fibers, or nerve signals. (Corecipients of the Noble Prize were Paul D. Boyer for related work with ATP, and Jens C. Skou who researched separately.) |