Jens C. SkouBorn 8 Oct 1918.Danish biophysicist who (with Paul D. Boyer and John E. Walker) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1997 for his discovery of the enzyme called sodium-potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na+-K+ ATPase). This enzyme, which is found in the plasma membrane of animal cells, maintains the balance of sodium and potassium ions in the living cell. Skou used as experimental material finely ground crab nerve membranes. The enzyme pumps sodium out of the cell and potassium into it, thereby maintaining a high intracellular concentration of potassium and a low concentration of sodium relative to the surrounding external environment. He was first to identify an enzyme that moves substances through cell membranes, a key function of all cells. |
