Edwin G. Krebs
His discovery of reversible protein phosphorylation revealed the fundamental on-off switch that regulates nearly every process in a living cell.
1918–2009 (age 91)·American biochemist·Birthday: June 6·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Edwin Krebs approached biochemistry with the meticulous patience of a detective solving life's most fundamental mystery: how cells control themselves. Working alongside Edmond Fischer at the University of Washington, he wasn't studying a disease or a hormone, but the puzzling behavior of a single enzyme, phosphorylase. In the 1950s, their painstaking experiments uncovered a startling truth—proteins could be activated and deactivated by the addition and removal of phosphate groups, a process they termed reversible protein phosphorylation. This was the discovery of a universal biological switch. It explained how hormones like adrenaline could trigger a rapid response in muscle and liver cells, a question that had long baffled scientists. The implications were vast, illuminating pathways for metabolism, gene expression, and cell division. For revealing this cornerstone of cellular signaling, a mechanism so crucial it goes awry in cancers and neurological diseases, Krebs and Fischer shared the Nobel Prize, transforming our understanding of life at the molecular level.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Edwin was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Edwin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
Edwin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 50
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 60
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 70
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 80
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2009Died at 91
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Shared the 1992 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Edmond H. Fischer for the discovery of reversible protein phosphorylation.
- Identified and characterized protein kinase A, a pivotal enzyme that carries out the phosphorylation process in response to cellular signals.
- His work provided the mechanistic explanation for how hormones like adrenaline trigger the rapid breakdown of glycogen for energy.
- Awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1989 for his groundbreaking contributions to biomedical science.
Did You Know?
He originally intended to become a physician and earned his M.D. from Washington University in St. Louis in 1943.
During World War II, he served as a doctor in the U.S. Navy.
He was an avid fly fisherman and often said the patience required for the sport was good training for laboratory research.
The research building at the University of Washington School of Medicine is named the Edwin G. Krebs-Henry A. Murray Building.
“The most important thing is to develop the capacity to doubt, because if you don't have that, you'll never make any discoveries.”
