Archives and Modern Manuscripts Program, History of Medicine Division
Processed by Digital Manuscripts Program Staff; Processing Completed 2007; Encoded by Michele M. Tourney


Descriptive Summary
	Collection Number:	MS C 566
	Creator:	Nirenberg, Marshall W.
	Title:	Marshall W. Nirenberg Papers
	Dates:	1937-2003 (bulk 1957-1997)
	Quantity:	171 linear feet (157 boxes + oversize materials)
	Abstract:	Marshall W. Nirenberg is best known for his work on deciphering the genetic code by discovering the unique code words for the twenty major amino acids that make-up DNA, for which he won the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology in 1968. This collection of correspondence, laboratory administrative and research materials, and publications documents Nirenberg's career as a researcher in biochemical genetics at the National Institutes of Health.

Biographical Note

Marshall Warren Nirenberg was born in New York City on April 10, 1927, to Harry and Minerva (Bykowsky) Nirenberg. In 1941, young Marshall developed rheumatic fever, so the Nirenberg family moved to Orlando, Florida to take advantage of the subtropical climate. Surrounded by "a natural paradise," during his teens Nirenberg developed a scientific and aesthetic appreciation for the natural world and became an adept observer of plant life, insects, and birds. He captured these observations through carefully written and maintained notes; these sketches and notes presaged a career in which scientific diaries filled with thorough documentation provided a constant source of inspiration for research and analysis.

In 1945, Nirenberg graduated from high school and enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville, earning his B.S. degree in zoology and chemistry in 1948. In 1950, he resumed his studies at Florida and took a M.S. degree in zoology in 1952, writing a master's thesis on caddis flies. Later that year, Nirenberg moved to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan. He earned a Ph.D. in biological chemistry in 1957 by writing a dissertation on the uptake of hexose, a type of sugar, by tumor cells. This work served as the basis of his first published article and shaped the direction of his initial studies after graduate school. Later that year, the American Cancer Society awarded Nirenberg a two-year postdoctoral fellowship to the laboratory of DeWitt Stetten Jr. at the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases (NIAMDD), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. He continued his work as a postdoctoral fellow of the Public Health Service's Section on Metabolic Enzymes at NIAMDD before joining the staff as a research biochemist in 1960.

In 1959, Nirenberg began his investigations into the relationship between deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and the production of proteins. With J. Heinrich Matthaei, a young postdoctoral researcher from Bonn, Germany, he initiated a series of experiments using synthetic RNA. These two researchers were able to show how RNA transmits the "messages" that are encoded in DNA and direct how amino acids combine to make proteins. These experiments became the foundation of Nirenberg's groundbreaking work on the genetic code, which he first made public at the International Congress of Biochemistry in Moscow in August 1961. By early 1962, the significance of these early experiments was recognized throughout the world, after the popular media highlighted the importance of their work as a major scientific breakthrough. As a result, less than one year after he had first announced his successful experiment with synthetic RNA, Nirenberg received the Molecular Biology Award from the National Academy of Sciences.

During this same period, Nirenberg was offered professorships at a number of major universities across the United States. He also was offered a research position with Francois Jacob--who would become the 1965 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine--at the Institut Pasteur, one of the world's leading centers of molecular genetics. Nirenberg, however, declined all offers and chose to stay at the National Institutes of Health, believing that a steady annual research budget would enable him to remain devoted to his work rather than spend his time pursuing outside grants. In 1962, he was appointed Chief of the Section on Biochemical Genetics at the NIH's National Heart Institute (NHI).

After Matthaei's departure from the NIH in 1962, Nirenberg continued his work on the genetic code with a team of postdoctoral fellows and research technicians. By 1966, Nirenberg had deciphered all the RNA "codons"--the term used to describe the "code words" of messenger RNA--for all twenty major amino acids. Two years later, in 1968, Nirenberg received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis." He shared the award with Robert W. Holley of Cornell University and Har Gobind Khorana of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Despite his successes, by the time he won the Nobel Prize Nirenberg had turned from research on the genetic code to the field of neurobiology. He chose neurobiology because it is the only other biological system besides the genetic code that is designed for information processing. DNA processes genetic information, and the brain processes mental information. The new scientific arena gave him the freedom to ask new questions, solve new problems, and explore new biological puzzles. Nirenberg would devote the next thirty years of his scientific career to the investigation of various aspects of neurobiology, including neural cell receptors and Homeobox genes.

Dr. Nirenberg has been honored for his work by many prestigious scientific organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Gairdner Foundation, and the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Nirenberg the National Medal of Science in 1966 and the National Medal of Honor in 1968. He is an active member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, a part of the Vatican. Since 1966 Nirenberg has maintained his current position as Senior Research Biochemist and Chief of the Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics at the NHI, later named the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. He also serves as a research professor in molecular and cell biology at the University of Maryland at College Park, and as an adjunct professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In 2001, Dr. Nirenberg was elected to the American Philosophical Society.

Brief Chronology


	Date	Event
	1927	Born Marshall Warren Nirenberg in New York, New York (April 10)
	1941	Nirenberg family moved to Orlando, Florida
	1948	Received B.S. (Zoology and Chemistry), University of Florida at Gainesville
	1952	Received M.S. (Zoology), University of Florida
	1957	Received Ph.D. (Biological Chemistry), University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
	1957-59	American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolic, and Digestive Diseases [NIAMDD, later NIDDK], National Institutes of Health [NIH]
	1959-60	Public Health Service Postdoctoral Fellow, NIAMDD; began examining the relationship between DNA, RNA, and protein production
	1960-62	Research Biochemist, NIAMDD; began poly-U experiments with Heinrich Matthaei
	1961	Married Perola Zaltzman (d. 2001) in July
	1961	Described the poly-U experiment at Fifth International Congress of Biochemistry in Moscow in August, related article published in October
	1962	Molecular Biology Award, National Academy of Sciences
	1962-66	Chief, Section on Biochemical Genetics, National Heart Institute [NHI], NIH
	1963-66	Completed sequencing of RNA "code words" for twenty amino acids
	1965-69	Turned attention and laboratory over to field of neurobiology
	1966	Senior Research Biochemist and Chief, Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics, NHI
	1967	Began studying the neuroblastoma system
	1968	Shared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for deciphering the genetic code with Robert W. Holley and Har Gobind Khorana
	1968	Awarded National Medal of Science by President Lyndon B. Johnson
	1969	Published first article on neurobiology in collaboration with Philip Nelson
	1973	Began studying the effects of morphine on the nervous system in collaboration with Werner Klee
	1976	Began work on neural cell receptors using chick retina
	1987	Began study of Homeobox genes in Drosophila fruit fly
	2001	Elected to American Philosophical Society
	2002	Symposium honoring Nirenberg held at NIH

Awards


	Date	Event
	1962	Award in the Biological Sciences, Washington Academy of Sciences
	1963	Molecular Biology Award, National Academy of Sciences
	1964	Medal, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
		Harrison Howe Award, American Chemical Society
		Paul-Lewis Award in Enzyme Chemistry, American Chemical Society
	1965	John Young Award, Florida
		National Medal of Science, President Lyndon B. Johnson
	1966	Hildebrand Award, American Chemical Society
		Research Corporation Award
	1967	American College of Physicians Award
		Gairdner Foundation Award, Canada
		Prix Charles Leopold Mayer, French Academy of Sciences
	1968	Distinguished Service Medal, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
		Franklin Medal, Franklin Institute
		Joseph Priestley Award, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
		Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
		Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, Columbia University
		National Medal of Honor, President Lyndon B. Johnson
		Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with Robert W. Holley and Har Gobind Khorana)
	1975	City of Peace Award
	1981	George Cotzias Memorial Award Lecture, American Society of Neurology
	1983	A. Ross McIntyre Award, University of Nebraska College of Medicine

Editorial Appointments

Analytical Biochemistry

Annual Review of Biochemistry

Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology

Journal of Neurogenetics

Korean Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Molecular Neurobiology

Honorary Degrees


	Date	Event
	1965	University of Chicago
		University of Michigan
		Yale University
	1966	University of Windsor (Ontario, Canada)
	1967	University of Pennsylvania
	1968	Harvard University
	1969	University of Florida
	1972	George Washington University
	1973	University of Pavia (Italy)
	1978	Weizmann Institute (Israel)
	1986	State University of New York at Albany
	1991	West Virginia State College
	1996	Union University, Albany College of Pharmacy

Memberships

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Chemical Society

American Institute of Chemists

American Neurochemistry Society

American Neurological Association

American Philosophical Society

American Society of Biological Chemistry

American Society of Biological Chemists

Biophysical Society

European Academy of Sciences and Arts

Federation of American Scientists

Harvey Society

International Society for Neuroimmunomodulation

National Academy of Medicine

National Academy of Sciences

Pontifical Academy of Sciences

Sigma Xi

Society for Developmental Biology

Society for Neuroscience

Washington Academy of Sciences

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Collection Summary

Correspondence, experimental data, laboratory administration material, publications and manuscripts, photographs, research notes and notebooks, and audiovisual material (1937-2003 [bulk 1957-1997]; 171 linear feet) document Marshall W. Nirenberg's career as a researcher in biochemical genetics at the National Institutes of Health.

Series III: Lab Administration and Series IV: Lab Research comprise the bulk of the collection. Together the materials in these series paint a comprehensive and detailed portrait of the laboratory's activities. Nirenberg became Head of the National Heart Institute's Section on Biochemical Genetics in 1962. The lab later became the Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics (LBG) of the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute (NHBLI), with Nirenberg becoming its Chief and Research Biochemist, a position he has held since 1966. The collection contains a wealth of material regarding the supervision of the LBG, particularly in Series III: Lab Administration. This series consists mainly of daily books, compiled by Nirenberg and his staff, which detail the everyday operations of the LBG; usually housed within three-ring binders, these volumes contain correspondence, research notes, various lists, conference programs, and other sundry materials received by the lab staff. Daily books exist from the late 1960s until the mid 1990s, providing a long-term view of the lab's operations. Similar materials are to be found in the General Files sub-series.

The collection also chronicles the LBG's shift in focus away from the study of the genetic code to that of neurobiology, reflecting Nirenberg's evolving research interests. The lab diaries, notes, notebooks, and photography within Series IV: Lab Research and the lab's annual reports in Series III: Lab Administration detail these shifts, which began around 1966 and occurred every few years as Nirenberg explored new research avenues. Written works produced by the LBG also expanded, resulting in a large body of publications by LBG staff and a collection of reprints on various topics annotated by Nirenberg and his staff through the years. In Series V: Writings, researchers can find these same works as manuscript drafts and reprints.

Best known for his Nobel Prize-winning work on the genetic code, Nirenberg began that career in 1957 when he took a position as a postdoctoral fellow in the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases (NIAMDD). His work with J. Heinrich Matthaei to investigate the relationship between DNA and RNA and their successful cracking of the genetic code in 1961 is well documented by this collection. Nirenberg and Matthaei revealed the role of RNA to the world through an article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 1961 and again at the Fifth International Congress of Biochemistry in Moscow a few months later. Series V: Writings includes drafts and reprints of that article, while Series II: Correspondence contains the dozens of reprint requests Nirenberg and Matthaei received from colleagues worldwide. In addition, Nirenberg's notes for the Moscow presentation are located in Series VI: Professional Activities, which also includes other speeches and presentations delivered by Nirenberg throughout his career. Series IV: Lab Research contains the early notebooks created by Nirenberg and colleagues during the genetic code experiments, as well as the original genetic code chart he and his staff compiled as they worked to decipher the code words which comprise the genetic language.

Nirenberg received the Nobel Prize in 1968 for his work on the genetic code. Materials related to this award, while scarce, do exist within the collection. Series I: Personal and Biographical includes copies of the notification telegram Nirenberg received as well as drafts of his speech. This series also features articles and clippings regarding the experiments as well as the award. Researchers can find a few photographs and audiovisual recordings of the ensuing celebrations and the Nobel awards ceremony in the Photographs Series (VII) and the Audiovisual Series (VIII).

While the collection is strong in its documentation of Nirenberg's professional career, materials related to his personal life are relatively scarce. The Personal and Biographical Series contains a handful of Nirenberg biographies from Who's Who and other publications as well as his curriculum vitae from circa 1961 to 2000. That series also features over a dozen notebooks from Nirenberg's undergraduate and graduate school careers and copies of both his master's thesis and his Ph. D. dissertation. The Photographs Series (VII), while small, includes several personal photographs of Nirenberg with his family, friends and colleagues over the years, and Series VIII: Audiovisual contains reminiscences of Nirenberg in the form of oral history interviews with Nirenberg and former postdoctoral researchers from his lab.

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Restrictions

Portions of the collection are restricted. Contact the Reference Staff for information regarding access. For online customer service, please visit http://www.nlm.nih.gov/contacts/custserv-email.html.

Copyright

Copyright was transferred to the public domain. Contact the Reference Staff for details regarding rights. For online customer service, please visit http://www.nlm.nih.gov/contacts/custserv-email.html.

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Index Terms
	These terms are indexed in the National Library of Medicine's online catalog LocatorPlus. Researchers wishing to find related materials should search the catalog using these terms.
	MeSH Subjects
		Amino Acid Sequence
		Codon
		DNA
		Neurobiology
		Neuroblastoma
		Nobel Prize
		Retina--chemistry
		RNA
		Sequence Analysis, DNA
	Personal Names
		Caryk, Theresa M.
		Heaton, Norma Z.
		Matthaei, J. Heinrich
	Corporate Names
		International Congress of Biochemistry (5th : 1961 : Moscow, Russia)
		National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
		National Institutes of Health (U.S.)
		Neurosciences Research Program

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Series I: Personal and Biographical, 1945-2000 4.5 linear feet
	The Personal and Biographical Series documents personal aspects of Nirenberg's life, most particularly his secondary education and awards such as the Nobel Prize. The series also provides further insight into Nirenberg's professional life through curriculum vitae, articles, and newspaper clippings which chronicle his successful research into the genetic code and subsequent accolades.




	The series is divided into six sub-series: Curriculum Vitae, Education and Coursework, The Nobel Prize, Other Awards and Honors, Articles and Clippings, and Personal Papers. The materials in each of the six sub-series are arranged chronologically. The largest of the sub-series, Education and Coursework, consists mostly of Nirenberg's notebooks from his coursework at the University of Florida and the University of Michigan. Divided into sub-sub-series by institution, these materials attest to Nirenberg's early interest in zoology. The sub-series also includes manuscript drafts for Nirenberg's master's and Ph.D. theses. In addition, the Personal Papers sub-series includes a notebook in which a young Nirenberg recorded some of his observations on the Floridian flora and fauna which sparked his scientific inquisitiveness.




	The Nobel Prize sub-series includes drafts and notes for Nirenberg's Nobel Prize address as well as articles about the prize and copies of the telegram informing him of the award. Researchers can find photographs of Nirenberg receiving the news of the award and the awards ceremony in Series VII: Photographs, as well as images of the scientist with his family, friends, and colleagues. The collection does not include the actual award or certificates. Similarly, the Other Awards and Honors sub-series of Series I does not include the awards received by Nirenberg; the materials in this sub-series consist mainly of drafts of acceptance speeches, travel arrangements, correspondence, and the occasional article or event program documenting the occasion.




Box	Folder
1	1-11	Curriculum Vitae, ca. 1961-2000
		Education and Coursework, 1945-1984
			Orlando Senior High School, 1945
1	12			Yearbook, Tigando [photocopies], 1945
			University of Florida, [1950]-1952; 1984
1	13			Biology 332 - Advanced Invertibrate Drawings, [1950]
1	14-17			[Draft of Master's thesis], [ca. 1952]
1	18			"Geology of Alachua County", [ca. 1952]
1	19-20			[Master's thesis] "The Caddis Flies of Alachua County, with Notes on Those of Florida", 1952 Feb
1	21			University of Florida brochure, 1984
			University of Michigan, 1953-1961
1	22			[Notes on journal articles on insulin], [ca. 1953]
1	23			[Notebook containing outline of paper on thyrosine], [ca. 1953]
1	24			Notebook, Carbohydrate Metabolism [Biological Chemistry 203], 1953 Feb-Mar
1	25			Notebook, Carbohydrate Metabolism II [Biological Chemistry 203?], 1953 Apr-Aug
1	26			[Lab notebook - Physiology 121?], 1954 Jun-Sep
1	27			[Abstracts on journal articles on biotin], [ca. 1955]
1	28			[Notebook, Biological Chemistry 160], [ca. 1955]
1	29			Notebook, Enzyme Kinetics [Biological Chemistry 207 Problems in Kinetics], [ca. 1955]
1	30			[NH4+ Data], [ca. 1955]
1	31			Notebook, Abstracts [Zoology 215], 1955
1	32			Experiment 5, Marshall Nirenberg (C. Wagner) Desk #2 Fatique, "The Biotin-Carbon Dioxide Fixation Relationship", 1955 Feb 24
1	33			Anaerobic Glycolysis Data, 1955 Dec-1956 Mar
1	34-36			Books I-III A-Series, 1955-1957
1	37			Book II [experimental data], 1955 Sep-Dec
2	1-4			Books III-VI [experimental data], 1955-1956
2	5-9			Books 7-11 [experimental data], 1956-1957
2	10			[American Cancer Society post-doctoral fellowship], 1956-1959
2	11			[Laboratory Biochemistry], [ca. 1957]
2	12			[Dissertation, "semi-final draft"] "Hexose Uptake in Ascites Tumor Cells", 1957 Jan
2	13			Slide materials [for dissertation] - Negatives and originals, [1957 Jan]
2	14			The Society of the Sigma Xi (Michigan Chapter), 1957 Mar
2	15			[Notes on experiments], [1957 Jul]
2	16			Graphs [for Expts 179-181], 1957 Sep
2	17-19			[Dissertation] "Hexose Uptake in Ascites Tumor Cells", 1957 [Jun]
2	20			Form 57 [termination of post-doctoral fellowship and application for employment at NIH], 1957-61
2	21			[Grant application with University of Michigan], 1961
					[RESTRICTED]
			Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1957-1961
2	22			[Notebook for coursework in Biochemical Genetics], 1957 Oct-1958 Sep
2	23			[Notebook for unknown course], 1958 Oct-1959 Jan
2	24			Notebook, Course in [Biochemical] Genetics, 1958 Oct - 1959 Jan
2	25			MN 1959 [Notebook for coursework in Bacterial Genetics], 1959 Mar-May
3	1			[Notebook, experiments], 1959 Jun
3	2			MN Notes 1959 [Notebook for coursework in Bacterial Genetics], 1959 Jun-Jul
3	3			MN Notes 1960 [Notebook for coursework], 1959 Oct-1960 Jan
3	4			MN 1960 [Notebook for coursework], 1960 Jan-1961 Jan
3	5			Notebook, Course Notes [Mechanisms in Biochemistry?], 1961 Feb-Mar
		The Nobel Prize, 1968-1983
3	6		[Nomination], [1968 Jan-Feb]
3	7		[Telegram announcing award], 1968 Oct 16
3	8		NIH Nobel Prize Celebration in Honor of Dr. Marshall Nirenberg, 1968 Oct 23
3	9		[Articles and clippings], 1968 Oct-Dec
3	10-11		[Preliminary outlines and drafts of speech], 1968 Oct-[Dec]
3	12		"Notes 1" [outlines and notes], 1968 Oct-Nov
3	13		[Draft 1], 1968 Oct-Nov
3	14		"Notes 2" [outlines, notes, figures], 1968 Nov
3	15		[Slides for Nobel talk], [1968 Nov]
3	16-17		[Drafts 6-8 and notes], 1968 Nov-Dec
3	18-21		Draft, "Deciphering the Genetic Code", 1968 Nov-1969 Mar
3	22		[Travel arrangements], [1968 Dec]
3	23-24		Manuscript, "The Genetic Code", [1969 Mar]
3	25		Original MS entered for Nobel Talk -- not used, 1969 Mar 1
3	26		[Draft of conclusion intended for Nobel manuscript -- not used], 1969 Mar 1
3	27		Preprint, "The Genetic Code", 1969 Apr
3	28		[Program listing Nobel Laureates], 1983
		Other Awards and Honors, 1962-1988
3	29		National Academy of Science Award in Molecular Biology, 1962 Apr
3	30		Washington Academy of Sciences 1962 Award for Scientific Achievement, 1963 Feb
3	31		[Arthur S. Flemming Award], [1963 Feb-Oct]
3	32		American Heart Association Career Investigatorship, 1963-1964
3	33		Modern Medicine 1964 Award for Distinguished Achievement, 1964 Jan
3	34		Pfizer Paul-Lewis Award in Enzyme Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 1964 Jan
3	35		Harrison Howe Award, American Chemical Society (Rochester, NY) [includes notes for speech], 1964 Nov
3	36		National Medal of Science, 1964 Nov
3	37		Hillebrand Award, Chemical Society of Washington [includes notes for speech], 1966 Mar
3	38		Prix Charles Leopold Mayer, French Academy of Sciences (Paris, France), 1967
4	1		Research Corporation Award of 1966 (New York, NY) [includes drafts of speech], 1967 Jan
4	2		[American College of Physicians and Surgeons Award (San Francisco, CA)] [includes notes for speech], [1967 Apr]
4	3		Gairdner Foundation Award (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) [includes notes and drafts of speech], 1967 Nov
4	4		Joseph Priestley Award, Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA), 1968 Mar
4	5		Distinguished Service Award, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1968 Apr
4	6		Honorary degree, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), 1968 Jun
4	7		The Franklin Medal, The Franklin Institute (Philadelphia, PA), 1968 Oct
4	8-9		Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, Columbia University (New York, NY) [includes drafts of speech], 1968 Oct
4	10		Albert Lasker Medical Research Award, Albert Lasker Foundation (New York, NY) [includes notes and drafts of speech], 1968 Nov
4	11		Honorary degree, School of Public Health Services (Albany, NY), 1986 Mar
4	12		Honorary degree, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (Holmdel, NJ), 1988 May
		Articles and Clippings, 1961-1993
4	13-14		Clippings and miscellany, 1961-1990
4	15-16		NIH Record, 1961-1993
4	17		"NIH Researchers Crack Genetic Code," Medical World News, 1962 Jan 5
4	18		"Findings May Speed Solution to Genetic Code," Chemical & Engineering News, 1962 Jan 15
4	19		"Man and Molecule," The Florida Alumnus vol. 16 no. 1, 1963 Dec
4	20		"Marshall Nirenberg," Current Biography, vol. 26 no. 4, 1965 Apr
4	21		Biographical entries in Who's Who, et al., 1966-1988
4	22		"Nobel Laureate Spotlighted at Bennett Research Day," The Ohio State University College of Medicine Journal, 1986
		Personal Papers, [ca. 1955]
4	23		Poem, "Who Are You", n.d.
136	1		Sketch pad, n.d.
4	24		[Notes on Florida flora and fauna], [1944]
4	25		[Unsent letter to Nirenberg's parents], [ca. 1955?]
					[RESTRICTED]
4	26		[List of birthdays and anniversaries], [ca. 1955?]

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Series II: Correspondence, 1953-1993 2.25 linear feet
	The Correspondence Series consists of mostly professional correspondence to Nirenberg. Throughout his tenure in the LBG, office practice was to file Nirenberg's correspondence into the lab's daily log books; these volumes are located in Series III: Laboratory Administration, within the Daily Books sub-series. The letters within the Correspondence Series either were never filed by the lab secretaries, or were removed at some point and never re-filed. The series is organized into four sub-series: General, Invitations, Employment Opportunities, and Reprint Requests. Within each sub-series, the correspondence is arranged chronologically.




	The General correspondence, spanning 1953-1993, encompasses a wide variety of work-related topics such as requests for cell lines and other cultures, professional conferences, and the research of Nirenberg and his peers, although the occasional personal note or card does appear. Included among these are letters from various socially-conscious organizations such as the Committee of Concerned Scientists asking Nirenberg for his support, particularly after he received the Nobel Prize in 1968. The Invitations sub-series includes offers of speaking engagements or tours, while inquiries regarding the availability of space in Nirenberg's lab comprise the majority of the Employment Opportunities sub-series. That sub-series also includes job offers to Nirenberg from other institutions, such as the offer in March 1962 from FranÃ§ois Jacob of the Institut Pasteur. Requests for Nirenberg and Matthaei's seminal 1961 publication on their poly-U experiments, "The Dependence of Cell-Free Protein Synthesis in E. coli upon Naturally Occurring or Synthetic Polyribonucleotides," comprise the bulk of the Reprint Requests sub-series, attesting to the widespread interest generated by their presentation at the Moscow conference. Series V: Writings includes drafts and reprints of the article, while Series VI: Professional Activities includes Nirenberg's notes and drafts for the 1961 poly-U presentation as well as memorabilia from the conference.




Box	Folder
4	27-45	General, 1953-1977
5	1-8	General, 1978-1993
5	9-18	Invitations, 1961-1993
		Employment Opportunities, 1960-1993
5	19-20		Offers to Nirenberg, 1961-1969
5	21-33		Inquiries and Recommendations, 1960-1986
6	1-2		Inquiries and Recommendations, 1987-1993
		Reprint Requests, 1960-1987
6	3		Letters, 1960-1987
133			Cards, 1960-1964

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Series III: Laboratory Administration, [1959]-1993 20.0 linear feet
	The Laboratory Administration Series provides insight into the daily workings of the Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics throughout Nirenberg's tenure. These materials were generated by the LBG staff in the course of their everyday operations. They consist mainly of annual reports and daily log books, which contain correspondence, data, instructions from Nirenberg to the staff, invoices, journal lists, and other related materials. The series is organized into three sub-series: Annual Reports, Daily Books, and General Files.




	The first sub-series, Annual Reports, contains overviews of lab activities for the year, including ongoing projects, with detailed descriptions of lab experiments. The evolution of each report is documented through various drafts as well as photocopied final products. Arranged chronologically, the annual reports are nearly complete for the years 1960-1993.




	The Daily Books sub-series is the largest of the series. To keep track of activities and events pertaining to the lab, Nirenberg and his staff compiled "belts" (dictated messages from Nirenberg to lab secretaries), correspondence, events material, journal subscriptions, shared experimental data, lists of tasks to be performed, and similar materials into three-ring binders. Ranging in date from 1968 to 1997, these binders may span one month or several years. The daily books are numbered chronologically for the most part, but on two occasions the numbering restarted. Daily books which were not numbered have been marked with the notation [unnumbered].




	Although the daily books contain mixed materials, the original order as compiled by lab personnel was retained to maintain their original context. For preservation purposes all materials were removed from the binders. Extraneous materials such as non-Nirenberg reprints, catalogs, blank ballots, and bibliographic search print-outs were deaccessioned. The following five volumes remain unaltered as examples of intact daily books: Mail 1 (1978 Jun-Jul), 151 (1981 Sep-Dec), 201 (1982 Nov-Dec), 342 (1986 Nov), and 442 (1990 Aug). The daily books are arranged chronologically by date, which correlates with the numerical sequencing.




	The last sub-series, General Files, consists of materials which were never filed into the daily books or became separated through early attempts at processing. These files include the same types of materials as the daily books, as well as budget information, equipment inventories, lab redesign documentation, position descriptions, and work orders. The LBG facility underwent a move and major renovations between 1969 and 1971, documented here by blueprints and floor plans. Also of note are the position descriptions for the various personnel in the lab; however, the inclusion of sensitive information has resulted in restrictions to certain items. The General Files are arranged alphabetically by document type, and then chronologically.




Box	Folder
		Annual Reports, 1960-1993
6	4-32		1960-1988
7	1-7		1988-1993
		Daily Books, 1968-1996
7	8		#14A Media and Neurochemistry, 1968-1973
7	9-10		Exa I, II, 1968-1969
7	11-12		Helmi III, 1969-1971
7	13		Daily 1: Belts, Correspondences, 1969 Jan-May
7	14		Daily 2: Correspondences, Growth Curve/Neuroblastoma, 1969 Apr-May
7	15		Daily 3: Correspondences, Reprints, 1969 Apr-May
7	16-19		#4 - #12, 1969 May-1970 Apr
7	20		#14, 1969 Nov-1970 Apr
7	21-23		#1, #2 for Norma [Heaton], 1970 Apr-Mar
7	24		#15 Norma [Heaton] - Willy [?] Methods 3, 1970 Jun
7	25		#16, 1970 Jun-Jul
8	1		Form Letters, [1971]
8	2		[unnumbered], 1971 Apr-Jul
8	3-9		#33 - #59, 1971 Oct-1972 Sep
8	10		Procedure Book, [ca. 1974]
8	11		#100, 1975 Oct-Nov
8	12		#173, 1976 Jun
8	13		#258, 1977 Jan
8	14		[unnumbered], 1977 Jan-Jul
8	15-19		Mail 1, 1978 Jan-Jun
8	20		[unnumbered], 1978 Feb
8	21		#265, 1978 Feb
8	22		[unnumbered], 1978 Apr-1979 Feb
8	23		Mail 2, 1978 Jun
8	24		[unnumbered], 1978 Jul
8	25-26		Mail - home 2, 1978 Jul-Dec
8	27		#1, 1978 Oct
8	28-29		[unnumbered], 1979 Jan-Feb
8	30		Mail 5, 1979 Feb
9	1-5		[unnumbered], 1979 Feb-Apr
9	6		M[ail] - 20, 1979 Apr-May
9	7-11		[unnumbered], 1979 Apr-Jun
9	12-33		#12 - #96, 1979 Jul-1980 Oct
10	1-36		#97 - #154 [includes photos], 1980 Oct-1982 Jan
11	1-33		#156 - #188, 1982 Jan-Nov
12	1-33		#189 - #238 [includes slides], 1982 Nov-1984 Jan
13	1-24		#239 - #269, 1984 Jan-Oct
14	1-25		#270 - #296, 1984 Nov -1985 Jun
15	1-28		#297 - #327, 1985 Jun-1986 May
16	1-34		#328 - #360, 1986 May-1987 Aug
17	1-2		[unnumbered], 1987 Aug
17	3-40		#361 - #400, 1987 Aug-1988 Oct
18	1-35		#401 - #429, 1988 Oct-1990 Feb
19	1-35		#430 - #461, 1990 Mar-1991 Sep
19	36-49		#263 - #322, 1991 Sep-1994 May
19	50-62		[unnumbered], 1995 May-1996 Jan
20	1-19		[unnumbered], 1996 Jan-1997 Feb
		General Files, [1959]-1993
20	20		Actions logs, 1981
20	21		[Agendas], [1962-1987]
20	22		Appointment Administration/HR, 1988-1992
20	23-25		"Old" Belts, 1968-1972
20	26-31		Budget reports [FY 1989 - FY 1991], 1989 Aug-1991 Mar
20	32-34		[Calendars], 1963-1971
20	35		Data entry logs [blank], n.d.
20	36		[Equipment inventories], [1971-1972]
20	37		[Equipment inventory], 1980 May 3
20	38-40		[Equipment purchases], [1985-1991]
20	41		Executive Inventory Record - Marshall Nirenberg, 1960-1968
20	42		FY 1990 Congressional Justification for DIR, 1988 Nov 18
20	43		[Honeywell, Inc. - Preventive Maintenance and Emergency Repairs], [1978-1979]
20	44-45		Instrument orders, 1987
21	1		Intramural Genome Initiative, 1991
21	2		Isotope records, 1979-1984
21	3-4		[Journal] subscriptions, 1973-1979
21	5		Journal lists, book lists, 1980-1981
21	6		[Journal subscriptions], 1982
			[Laboratory Renovation], 1968-1972
21	7			[Laboratory - Design sketches and equipment catalogs], [1968-1969]
21	8			[Laboratory - Floor plans], [ca. 1969]
21	9			[Laboratory - Alarm System], [1969]
21	10-11			[Laboratory] - 2nd and 3rd sets of plans, 1969 Apr-Oct
21	12			[Laboratory] - Floor plans for Section 4C, [ca. 1969]
21	13			[Laboratory - Floor plans for 1C and 4C], 1969 Apr-Sep
21	14			[Laboratory] - Floor plans for 1C, [1969-1971]
21	15			[Laboratory - Equipment changes], [1970-1972]
21	16			[Laboratory - Floor plans for] 4C, [ca. 1971]
21	17			[Laboratory] - Future area Bldg 36 1C08, 1C06, 1C04, 1C07, [1971]
21	18			[Laboratory personnel], [1967; 1978-1984]
					[RESTRICTED]
21	19		[Laboratory] Positions 2, 1974-1980
21	20		[Memoranda], [1976-1985]
21	21		[Microbiological Associates internal sales requests], 1970-1971
21	22		[Microbiological Associates budget information], [ca. 1972]
21	23		[Microbiological Associates contract modification], 1978 May
21	24		Microbiological Associates contract modification], 1981-1982
21	25-26		NIH Position Descriptions, [1956-1982]
21	27		[Nitrogen freezer and CO2 logs], 1977-1979
21	28		Nitrogen freezer information, 1980-1981
21	29-31		Individual performance plan - Marshall Nirenberg, 1984-1993
21	32		Personnel/Requisitions/Travel, 1983-1984
21	33		Pharmacology Research Associate Program, 1978
21	34		[Proposed training], [ca. 1961]
21	35-37		Radiation survey reports, 1977-[1987]
21	38		[Research Fellowship application - J. Heinrich Matthaei], [1959 Jun 24]
134			Specimen vials, 1967 Mar 23
21	39-47		[To Do lists], 1967-1987
21	48		[Work orders], [1987]

Return to the Table of Contents



Series IV: Laboratory Research, 1946-2001 117.75 linear feet plus 5 oversized folders
	The Lab Research series comprises the bulk of the collection and documents experiments conducted by Nirenberg and his LBG staff from 1957 to 2001. Included in the series are experiment data, graphs, lab diaries, lab notes and notebooks, manuscript materials, photographs and negatives, and machine print-outs. The materials are organized into three sub-series: Lab Diaries, Lab Notes and Notebooks, and Lab Photography. Each sub-series is arranged chronologically. When reviewed in conjunction with the annual reports in Series III, these materials paint a detailed portrait of laboratory activities.




	The first sub-series, Lab Diaries, consists mostly of hard-bound notebooks in which Nirenberg tracked the experiments being conducted by himself and his staff. The notebooks contain Nirenberg's instructions and ideas for experiments, tasks to do (and re-do), and requests for articles; many of the diaries also contain shared experimental data, particularly the earlier volumes from Nirenberg's postdoctoral period. In addition, the diaries from 1965 contain notes and ideas about the genetic code, written at a time when Nirenberg was shifting away from the code to neurobiology; as such, these volumes serve as summaries of his work to that point. Numbered sequentially, the diaries are nearly complete from 1957 to 1974, with only volumes 27 and 32 missing; an index compiled in 2000 is included at the end of the sub-series.




	Nirenberg's research material, the most substantial portion of the collection, forms the Lab Notes and Notebooks sub-series. These notes, often assembled into 3-ring binders for easier access, contain experimental data by Nirenberg and his colleagues beginning with his postdoctoral work in DeWitt Stetten's lab at NIAMDD. A combination of original materials and annotated photocopies, the notes consist of experimental data in the form of graphs, charts, lists, and worksheets, and also include memoranda between Nirenberg and his research staff, supplemental articles, scraps of manuscripts, and ideas and thoughts about the work at hand. There are also volumes detailing solutions, methodologies, protocols, and cell inventories. Nearly one hundred different researchers are represented by the fifty years' worth of material, including Nirenberg's wife, Perola Zaltzman. The collection contains numerous notebooks by lab technicians Norma Heaton and Theresa Caryk, who worked with Nirenberg in the LBG for several decades.




	The Lab Notes and Notebooks sub-series has been divided further into six sub-sub-series based upon the experimental focus of the lab: Undated, Genetic Code Experiments, Transition to Neurobiology, Effects of Morphine on the Nervous System, Neural Synapses in Chick Retina, and Homeobox Genes. Researchers should be aware of overlaps between each of the sub-sub-series, particularly in the different phases of the neurobiological studies. For ongoing experiments it was not unusual for more than one investigator to be involved, therefore many volumes contain notes by multiple investigators and can span several years. As such, the date ranges for each sub-sub-series reflect the dates of the materials, not of the actual period of experimentation.




	For all six sub-sub-series, original folder titles were retained whenever possible; missing data which has been provided is denoted by square brackets [ ]. Materials within each sub-sub-series (except for the first, Undated) are arranged chronologically by the year in which they were begun and then alphabetically, first by investigator (when identified) and then by subject. Untitled or unidentified items are housed at the end of each year. Missing dates have been supplied whenever possible; any remaining undated materials have been placed within the first subseries, Undated.




	Nirenberg's early experiments with Heinrich Matthaei on polu-U, as well as the work of the LBG to identify the sixty-four codons (or "code words," as they were first known), are documented through the notebooks in the Genetic Code Experiments sub-sub-series. In addition to volumes created by Nirenberg, the sub-sub-series includes experimental data from lab technicians Caryk and Heaton, postdoctoral fellows Bill Groves, Taysir Jaouni, Charles O'Neal, Sidney Pestka, and others who assisted with deciphering the code.




	Two documents of particular note are the genetic code charts compiled by Nirenberg and staff between 1964 and 1966 as they identified the codons. The original chart is a makeshift one, formed from various pieces of graph paper taped together, with data entered in different colors by different hands. The vertical axis on the left side lists the sixty-four codons in sets of four, while the horizontal axis across the top displays the twenty amino acids; data from repeated experimentation, with other notations and highlights, were filled in over time. The accompanying hand-written note from Nirenberg claims that while this chart was the original, its cluttered appearance necessitated its replacement with a "longer (and neater)" version. The later version, crafted from photocopies taped together and annotated in the same style, is housed within an oversized folder. Negatives of both charts are housed within the regular collection. Due to its fragility and value, the original chart is housed permanently in the History of Medicine Division's Incunabula Room, and is available for viewing upon request.




	Materials in the third sub-series, Lab Photography, also demonstrate the LBG's experimental progression. Beginning in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, Nirenberg and the LBG researchers used cinemicrography, the photographing of objects by a microscope equipped with a motion picture camera, to document the work they were conducting on neuroblastoma and the neural synapses in chick retina. These experiments resulted in the hundreds of photographs and analyses which form the Lab Photography sub-series.




Box	Folder
		Lab Diaries, 1957-1974, 2000
21	49		D4 IV A Series, 1957 Jul-1958 Feb
21	50		D5 VA, 1957 Oct-1958 Nov
22	1		D6 VIA, 1958 Nov-1959 Sep
22	2		D7 VIIA, 1959 Sep-1960 Mar
22	3		D8 VIIIA, 1960 Apr-Aug
22	4		D9 IXA, 1960 Sep-[1961] May
22	5		D10 A, 1961 Mar-Sep
22	6		D11 XA, 1961 Jun-Dec
22	7		D12 7A, 1961 Dec-1962 May
22	8		D-13 8A, 1962 May-Sep
22	9		D-14 8A-2, 1962 Jul
22	10		D-15 9A, 1962 Sep-1963 Jan
22	11		D-16 10A, 1963 Jan-Apr
22	12		D-17 11A, 1963 Apr-Jul
22	13		D18 12A, 1963 Jul-Nov
22	14		D19 I. Brain 12A-2, 1963 Sep
22	15		D-20 13A, 1963 Nov-1964 Apr
22	16		D21 14A, 1964 Apr-Oct
23	1		D22 15A, 1964 Oct-1965 Jan
23	2		D23 16A, 1965 [May-Jul]
23	3-4		D-24 [formerly ID-1 17A], 1965 Jun-1966 Mar
23	5		17A [ideas on the genetic code], 1965 Aug-Nov
23	6		D-25 Theory Code [formerly ID-2 18A], 1966 Feb-May
23	7		D-26 [formerly ID-3 19A], 1966 Jun-Sep
23	8		28 - To Do, 1967 Nov-1968 Jan
23	9		29 - To Do, 1969 Jan-Dec
23	10		29A, 1969 Jan-Mar
23	11		30A, 1969 Mar-Jun
23	12		31A, 1969 Jun-Jul
23	13-14		33A, [1969 Aug-Nov]
23	15		34A, 1969 Nov-1970 Feb
23	16		A30 - To Do, 1969 Dec-1971 Jan
23	17		35-A, 1970 Feb-Sep
24	1		36-A, 1970 Oct-Dec
24	2		37-A, 1971 Jan-Mar
24	3		38-A, [1971 Jun-1972 Jan]
24	4		38 - To Do, [1971 Sep-1973 Mar]
24	5		39A, [1972 Mar-1973 Jul]
24	6		40A, [1973 Mar-1975 Oct]
24	7		40B, [1974 Jan-Dec]
24	8		Index, 2000 Oct
		Lab Notes and Notebooks, 1946-2001
			Undated
24	9			Answered letters [evolution of code notes], n.d.
24	10			Art Blume, n.d.
24	11			Binding sRNA polynucleotides, n.d.
24	12			Code / orders - equipment, n.d.
24	13			Cold Spring Harbor slides, n.d.
24	14			Current work - Heppel and Sober oligo U-A, n.d.
24	15			Current work - miscellaneous, n.d.
24	16			[DPN SSA], n.d.
24	17			[Effect of 5-phosphate on template activity], n.d.
24	18-19			Ex 3. 8100 [graphs], n.d.
24	20			[Experiment protocols and methods], n.d.
24	21-22			Experiments to do, n.d.
24	23			[GLU tRNA and GLN tRNA experiments], n.d.
Map Drawer 4	1			[Graph - ApA], n.d.
24	24			Hb sequence - AA, n.d.
24	25			[Lecture notes], n.d.
24	26			Legends and tables finalized, n.d.
24	27			Lymphocyte fusion, n.d.
24	28			Misc[ellaneous] experiments, n.d.
24	29			[Molecular regulations], n.d.
24	30-31			[Notes], n.d.
24	32			[Notes on code], n.d.
24	33			[Notes on tRNA], n.d.
24	34			Oligonucleotide probes, n.d.
24	35			[Protein graph], n.d.
24	36			Protocols, n.d.
24	37			Slides, n.d.
24	38			Slides [regulatory codewords], n.d.
24	39			[Summary of work], n.d.
24	40			[Synapse histology], n.d.
24	41			[Table 1 - cell lines], n.d.
24	42			Theory-Code, n.d.
24	43			[Treatment preparations], n.d.
24	44			Triplet Pilots, n.d.
24	45			[x1A, x1B, etc.], n.d.
			Genetic Code Experiments, 1946-1968
24	46			Lawrence Kahana organic chemistry experiments, 1946; 1959
24	47			[Marshall Nirenberg] 12 [experiments 147-206], 1957
24	48			[Marshall Nirenberg] 13 [experiments 207-284], 1957-1958
24	49			[Marshall Nirenberg] 14 [experiments 285-354], 1958
25	1			[Marshall Nirenberg] 15 [experiments 354-361], 1958-1959
25	2			[Marshall Nirenberg] 16, 1959
25	3			[Marshall Nirenberg] 17, 1959-1960
25	4			[Marshall Nirenberg - experiment with Trypsin], [ca.1959 Sep]
25	5			Doyle Mullinax Book 3, 1960-1963
25	6			[Marshall Nirenberg] 18, 1960
25	7			[Marshall Nirenberg] 19, 1960-1961
25	8			Immunology, [ca. 1960]
25	9			Solution book 1, 1960-1964
25	10			L[inda] Greenhouse I, 1961-1962
25	11			D[oyle] Mullinax Note Book #2, 1961
25	12			[Marshall Nirenberg] 20, 1961-[1963]
25	13			Growth and Enzyme Prep[aration]s, 1961-1967
25	14			Glenna [Bailey] I, 1962
25	15			[Glenna Bailey, Heinrich Matthaei] Leusine substitutes data, 1962
25	16			Linda Greenhouse II, 1962
25	17			Linda Greenhouse 3, 1962-1963
26	1-2			Linda Greenhouse [includes photos], 1962
26	3			[Linda Greenhouse], 1962
26	4			[Bill Groves? - Effects of Aspartic and Glutamic Acids on Polymers], [ca. 1962]
26	5-6			Bill Groves data book I, 1962-1963
26	7			N[aomi] Lynn Hurwitz, 1962
26	8			Naomi Lynn Hurwitz, 1962-1963
26	9-10			O[liver] W. Jones carbon copies, 1962-1963
26	11			Doyle Mullinax computation book 4, 1962-1964
26	12			[Marshall Nirenberg, et.al - possible codewords], [ca. 1962-1963]
26	13			[Marshall Nirenberg, Theresa M. Caryk], 1962-1964
26	14-17			S[idney] Pestka data, 1962-1964
26	18			Polynucleotides, [1962]
26	19-20			RNA polymerase, 1962-1963
26	21			Theresa M. Caryk I, 1963
26	22			Theresa M. Caryk II, 1963
27	1			Theresa M. Caryk III, 1963
27	2			Theresa M. Caryk IV, 1963-1964
27	3			Theresa [M. Caryk] Originals, Expt. 2 Protocols, 1963
27	4			Linda Greenhouse 4, 1963
27	5-7			Bill Groves data book II, 1963
27	8-9			Bill Groves data book III, 1963-1964
27	10			Norma [Heaton] methods, 1963
27	11			Norman [Heaton] I, 1963
27	12			Norma [Heaton] II, 1963
27	13			Norma [Heaton] III, 1963-1964
27	14			Taysir Jaouni II, 1963
27	15			Taysir Jaouni III, 1963-1964
27	16			O[liver] W. Jones 4, 1963
27	17			[Judith Levin], [1963]
27	18			[Marshall Nirenberg], [1963]
28	1			[Marshall Nirenberg] 21, 1963-1964
28	2			C[harles] H. O'Neal carbons, 1963-1964
28	3-4			S[idney] Pestka data II, 1963-1964
28	5			Charts on Genetic Code, 1963
28	6			[Experiment to do lists], 1963-1964
28	7			[Notes on the code], [ca. 1963-ca. 1964]
28	8-9			[Polylysine], 1963
28	10			Radioisotope book I, 1963
28	11			[RNA codewords?], [ca. 1963]
28	12-14			[Untitled], 1963-1965
28	15			Theresa M. Caryk V, 1964
28	16			Theresa M. Caryk VI, 1964
28	17			Theresa M. Caryk VII, 1964
28	18			Theresa M. Caryk VIII, 1964
28	19			Theresa M. Caryk IX, 1964-1965
28	20-22			B.P. Doctor binding, 1964-1966
29	1-2			Norma [Heaton] IV, 1964
29	3-4			Norma [Heaton] V, 1964
29	5-6			Norma [Heaton] VI, 1964
29	7-8			Norma [Heaton] VII, 1964-1965
29	9			[Wayne Kemper] Oligo Data, [1964-1965]
29	10-14			Judy Levin, 1964-1967
29	15			[Marshall Nirenberg - notes on triplets], [ca. 1964]
29	16-17			[Noboru and Tamiko Kano] Sueoka, 1964-1966
30	1-2			Alanine I, 1964-1965
30	3-4			θ [Theta] Alanine II, 1964-1965
30	5			Alanine [triplet specificity], 1964-1965
30	6			θ ALII triplet specificity and analogs, 1964-1967
30	7-8			Arginine, 1964-1967
30	9			Aspartic acid/asparagine, 1964-1966
30	10-11			[C¹⁴-alanine-sRNA], [1964-1966]
30	12			Cysteine, 1964-1965
30	13			Data VI theory code, 1964-1966
30	14			Doublet and triplet stock, 1964-1965
30	15			Genetic Code charts [includes negatives], 1964-1966
30	16-17			Glutamic acid, 1964-1966
30	18			Histidine, 1964-1966
30	19			Isoleucine, 1964-1965
30	20			Leucine I, 1964-1967
30	21-22			Leucine II, 1964-1965
30	23			Leucine III, 1964-1965
30	24			Lysine II, 1964-1966
30	25			Methionine, 1964-1965
30	26			[Methyl- and Benzyl-compounds], [1964-1968]
30	27			Mg and diamines, 1964-1965
31	1			Miscellaneous, 1964-1966
31	2-3			Proline, 1964-1966
31	4			Protocols, 196[4-1966]
31	5			Protocols, experiments, 196[4-1966]
31	6			"Replacement" Data, Predictions II, 196[4-1966]
31	7-9			Serine, 1964-1967
31	10-11			Solution book 2, 1964-1966
31	12			Solutions DAK, 1964-1965
147				Spectra-binder, 1964-1965
31	13			sRNAs, 1964-1966
31	14-15			Summary triplet purity and sequence, [1964-1965]
31	16			Theoretical codeword sequence, 1964
31	17-18			Threonine, 1964-1965
31	19			Triplet analyses (purity), [1964-1966]
31	20			Triplet-sRNA inventories, 1964-1965
31	21			Triplet purity and sequence [AA-AU], 1964-1965
31	22			Triplet purity and sequence [CA-CU], 1964-1965
31	23			Triplet purity and sequence [GA-GU], 1964-1965
31	24			Triplet purity and sequence [UA-UU, plus chart], 1964-1965
31	25			Tryptophane, 1964-1965
31	26			Tyrosine, 1964-1965
31	27			Valine, 1964-1965
32	1			[Untitled], 1964
32	2-3			[Untitled], 1964-1965
32	4			[Untitled], 1964-1966
32	5			French Anderson, 1965
32	6			Ann [Bauer?], [ca. 1965]
32	7			Theresa M. Caryk X, 1965
32	8-9			Theresa M. Caryk XI, 1965
32	10-11			Theresa M. Caryk 12, 1965
32	12			Theresa M. Caryk 13, 1965
32	13			Theresa M. Caryk 14, 1965
32	14-15			T[heresa M.] Caryk adult xenopus liver I A-L, 1965-1966
32	16-17			T[heresa M.] Caryk adult xenopus liver II M-Z, 1965-1966
32	18-19			T[heresa M.] Caryk guinea pig liver, 1965-1966
33	1-2			T[heresa M.] Caryk guinea pig liver [cont'd], 1965-1966
33	3-4			[T. Caryk et al.] Doc's ala, ser, trypt, val-sRNA, 1965
33	5			Dolph [Hatfield], 1965
33	6			D. L. H[atfield] H³AAA, [ca. 1965?]
33	7			Norma [Heaton] VIII, 1965
33	8			Norma [Heaton] IX, 1965
33	9			Norma [Heaton] IX [Ala], 1965
33	10			Norma [Heaton] IX [Arg, asp, asp-NH₂], 1965
33	11			Norma [Heaton] 10, 1965
33	12-13			Norma [Heaton] 11, 1965
33	14			Norma [Heaton] 12, 1965
33	15			Norma [Heaton] 13, 1965
33	16			Norma [Heaton] 14, 1965-1966
33	17			[Norma Heaton Oligo purification and chromatography], [ca. 1965?]
34	1			Taysir Jaouni IV, 1965
34	2			Taysir Jaouni V, 1965-1966
34	3			[Don Kellogg experiments vol. I and II] [photocopies], [1965]
34	4-7			[Don] Kellogg experiments vol. II, 1965
34	8-10			[Don] Kellogg experiments vol. III, 1965
34	11			Dick [Richard Marshall?], 1965
34	12			"Richard" [Marshall?], 1965
34	13			Doyle Mullinax computation book 5, 1965-1967
34	14-15			[Marshall Nirenberg] 49-MN-66 data, 1965-1967
34	16			[Marshall Nirenberg - notes on brain, neurobiology], 1965-1966
34	17			[Sidney Pestka - Streptomycin], [1965]
34	18			[J.] Smrt, [G.M.] Tener, [J.G.] Moffatt, 1965
34	19-20			[Noboru and Tamiko Kano] Sueoka I, 1965-1966
34	21-23			[Noboru and Tamiko Kano] Sueoka II, 1965-1967
34	24			Joel [Trupin], 1965
34	25-27			2 stage I, 1965-1968
34	28			2 stage II, 1965-1967
35	1-3			Adult guinea pig liver sRNA, 1965-1966
35	4-5			Adult xenopus liver I A-L neurula and muscle, 1965-1966
35	6			Amb[iguity] 24, 1965
35	7			[Codon notes], 1965-1966
35	8			Conditions θ ALII, 1965-1966
35	9			Current work - code, [ca. 1965]
35	10-11			Cys-glu-gly, 1965
35	12			Doc's met-sRNA, 1965-1966
35	13-14			Doc's tyr-sRNA, 1965-1966
35	15-16			Glycine, 1965
35	17			Leucine sRNA, 1965
35	18			Lysine-Lazzarini, 1965-1966
35	19-22			Met/pro/ser, 1965
35	23			Minus ribosomes, 1965-1967
35	24			[Nucleotide sequences], [ca. 1965]
35	25			[Pseudo U and bases], [ca. 1965]
35	26-27			R experiments, 1965
35	28			[Research notes, plates, and summaries], 1965
35	29			RNA-DNA nucleotide sequence, 1965-1966
35	30			sRNA summary, 1965-1966
36	1			Summary triplets, 196[5-1966]
36	2			Theory/Lucille, 1965
36	3			To do notebook, 1965
36	4			[Triplets], [ca. 1965]
36	5-6			[Xenopus], 1965-1966
36	7			Xenopus 23, 1965
36	8-9			Xenopus-laevis neurula and muscle, 1965
36	10			Xenopus neurula, 1965-1966
36	11			[Loose notes], [ca. 1965]
36	12			[Untitled], 1965
			Transition to Neurobiology, 1966-1976
36	13			Ames, Silbert, Fine H15 sRNA, 1966
36	14-15			[French] Anderson 104, 1966-1968
36	16			Ann Bauer charging pilots, 1966
36	17			Anne [Bauer?] 1 [Post-doc research journal], 1966
36	18			Anne [Bauer?] 2 [Post-doc research journal], 1966
36	19			Theresa M. Caryk 15, 1966
36	20			Theresa M. Caryk 16, 1966
36	21			Theresa M. Caryk 17, 1966
37	1			Theresa M. Caryk 18, 1966
37	2			Theresa M. Caryk 19, 1966-1967
37	3			[Tom Caskey] 3-Tom Data 105-A (0-66), [1966-1968]
37	4			[Tom Caskey and A. Beaudet] Kelmers-Fracions 105-C-66, g. pig--E. coli--sRNA binding data, 1966
37	5-7			[Tom] Caskey, [A.] Beaudet, Kelmers guinea pig-E. coli binding data 105-B, 1966-1967
37	8-9			[Dolph Hatfield] Chicken sRNA - Dolph binder 1, 1966
37	10-12			[Dolph Hatfield] Sephadex Fractions, 1966
37	13			Dolph [Hatfield] hen sRNA profiles binder 3, 1966
37	14			Norma [Heaton] 15, 1966
37	15			Norma [Heaton] 16, 1966
37	16-17			Norma [Heaton] 17, 1966-1967
38	1			Taysir Jaouni VI, 1966
38	2			Taysir Jaouni VII, 1966-1967
38	3			Wayne Kemper - Charging, 1966
38	4			[Wayne Kemper] Procedures - triplet pilots, [1966-1968]
38	5-6			Wayne Kemper - WN - Exp[eriments], [1966-1967]
38	7-9			Darlene [Levenson]

Finding Aid to the Marshall W. Nirenberg Papers, 1937-2003 (bulk 1957-1997)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Descriptive Summary

Biographical Note

Brief Chronology

Awards

Editorial Appointments

Honorary Degrees

Memberships

Collection Summary

Restrictions

Restrictions

Copyright

Index Terms

Administrative Information

Alternate Forms Available

Preferred Citation

Provenance

Series Descriptions

Series I: Personal and Biographical, 1945-2000 4.5 linear feet

Series II: Correspondence, 1953-1993 2.25 linear feet

Series III: Laboratory Administration, [1959]-1993 20.0 linear feet

Series IV: Laboratory Research, 1946-2001 117.75 linear feet plus 5 oversized folders