Michael W.

Young
Michael Warren Young (born March 28, 1949) is an
American biologist and geneticist. He has dedicated Michael W. Young
over three decades to research studying genetically
controlled patterns of sleep and wakefulness within
Drosophila melanogaster.[2]

At Rockefeller University, his lab has made significant

contributions in the field of chronobiology by
identifying key genes associated with regulation of the
internal clock responsible for circadian rhythms. He
was able to elucidate the function of the period gene,
which is necessary for the fly to exhibit normal sleep
cycles. Young's lab is also attributed with the discovery
of the timeless and doubletime genes, which makes
proteins that are also necessary for circadian rhythm.
He was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Michael W. Young in Nobel Prize press
Medicine along with Jeffrey C. Hall and Michael conference in Stockholm, December 2017
Rosbash "for their discoveries of molecular Born Michael Warren Young
mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm".[3][4] March 28, 1949
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Education University of Texas, Austin (BA,
Life PhD[1])
Known for Circadian rhythms
Awards Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Early life
Medicine (2017)
Michael W. Young was born in Miami, Florida, on
Scientific career
March 28, 1949.[5] His father worked for Olin
Mathieson Chemical Corporation managing aluminum Fields Chronobiology
ingot sales for the south eastern United States. His Biology
mother worked for a law firm as a secretary. Despite Institutions University of Texas, Austin
no history of science or medicine in either of their Stanford University School of
backgrounds, Young’s parents were supportive of his Medicine
interest in science and provided the means of scientific Rockefeller University
exploration through microscopes and telescopes. They Thesis Non-essential sequences,
lived in an environment close to private zoos, where genes, and the polytene
occasionally some of the animals would escape into chromosome bands of
their backyard and spark Young's scientific interest.[6] drosophila melanogaster (https://
www.proquest.com/docview/302
Michael Young grew up in and around Miami, 788770/) (1975)
Florida.[2] Then, his family moved near Dallas, Texas,
where he graduated from L. D. Bell High School.[7] In
his early teens, Michael’s parents gifted him one of Doctoral Burke Judd
Darwin’s books on evolution and biological mysteries. advisor
The book described biological clocks as the reason Doctoral Leslie B. Vosshall
why a strange plant he had seen years earlier produced students
flowers that closed during the day and opened at night.
The location and composition of these clocks were unknown, and this sparked Michael Young’s interest
at an early age.[6]

Family life
While working as a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, Michael Young met his future
wife Laurel Eckhardt. Later, both moved to Stanford University, where Michael worked as a postdoctoral
fellow and Laurel pursued her PhD with Len Herzenberg. Today, she is a Professor of Biology at Hunter
College. Michael and Laurel still work close to each other. Together, they have two daughters, Natalie
and Arissa.[6]

Academic career
Young earned his undergraduate degree in biology from University of Texas at Austin in 1971.[2] After a
summer of research with Burke Judd on the Drosophila genome, Young stayed at the UT to complete a
Ph.D. in genetics in 1975.[5] It was during his time here that Young became fascinated with research
focused on Drosophila.[6] During his graduate work, he learned of Ron Konopka and Seymour Benzer’s
work with Drosophila circadian mutants, which led to his future work in cloning the period gene.[6]

Michael Young continued his studies through postdoctoral training at Stanford University School of
Medicine with an interest in molecular genetics and particular focus on transposable elements.[2] He
worked in Dave Hogness’ lab and became familiar with the methods of recombinant DNA.[6] Two years
later, he joined Rockefeller University as an assistant professor. From 1978 on he was involved in the
University, serving as associate professor in 1984 and later named professor in 1988.[8] In 2004, Young
was appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs and was also granted the Richard and Jeanne Fisher
Chair.[5]

Scientific career

Discovery of PER
At The Rockefeller University in the early 1980s, Young and his two lab members, Ted Bargiello and Rob
Jackson, further investigated the circadian period gene in Drosophila. They constructed segments of
recombinant Drosophila DNA, amplified them in bacteria, and injected them in per mutant animals. A
locomotor behavior monitor was used to assay behavioral activity. The team watched and recorded fly
activity through the day and night to show that the fly restored circadian behavioral rhythms by
transferring a functional per gene.[9] Later, by determining the sequence of the gene on the X
chromosome, they found that the arrhythmic mutation produced a functionless protein, while long-period
and short-period mutants of per changed the amino acid sequence of a still functional protein.[10][11]

Discovery of timeless
Following the discovery of per, the Young lab looked for
additional circadian genes. In late 1980s, Amita Sehgal, Jeff Price,
Bernice Man helped Young use forward genetics to screen for
additional mutations that altered fly rhythms. A new gene located
on chromosome 2 was named timeless (tim) and was successfully
cloned and sequenced. They found strong functional connections
between tim and per. Tim mutants interfered with per mRNA Period and Timeless proteins bind
together to form a stabilized dimer,
cycling. In 1994, Leslie Vosshall, a graduate student in Young's
which allows the two to enter the
lab, discovered that if PER proteins were protected from nucleus. Phosphorylation of period
degradation, they would accumulate without TIM, but could not by double-time initiates degradation.
move to the nuclei. Later Young and others found that TIM
proteins did not accumulate in nuclei in per mutants. They
concluded that PER and TIM worked together.[12] Another lab member Lino Saez, saw that PER and TIM
associate with each other to stabilize each other and to allow their nuclear accumulation.[13] Later studies
by the Young, Sehgal, and Edery labs revealed that light causes the rapid degradation of TIM and resets
of the phase of the circadian rhythm.[14][15]

Doubletime phosphorylation
In 1998, Jeff Price from the Young lab discovered a kinase called doubletime (Casein kinase 1) that
phosphorylates PER on certain serine residues. This signal marks it for degradation. When PER and TIM
are bound, doubletime does not seem to be able to phosphorylate PER, allowing it to accumulate.[16]
Young’s discovery of doubletime mutants in 1998 was soon followed by the 2001 discovery of a form of
Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome (FASPS) in humans, which is linked to an hPer2
polymorphism that removes a serine normally phosphorylated by Casein kinase 1.[17] Other forms of
FASPS are caused by mutations that alter the Casein kinase 1 gene. Doubletime mutations in Drosophila
alter the phosphorylation and degradation of PER protein. This affects the regularity in period of the
organism. This discovery solidified doubletime as a necessary part of the circadian clock.[18]

Positions and honors

1978: Andre and Bella Meyer Foundation fellowship[2]
2006: Pittendrigh/Aschoff Award from the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms[2]
2007: Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology[2]
2007: Member of the National Academy of Sciences[2]
2009: Gruber Prize in Neuroscience (with Michael Rosbash and Jeffrey C. Hall)[19]
2011: Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (with Michael Rosbash and Jeffrey C. Hall)[8]
2012: Massry Prize (with Michael Rosbash and Jeffrey C. Hall)[8]
 2012: Canada Gairdner International Award (with Michael Rosbash and Jeffrey C. Hall)[8]
2013: Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine (with Michael Rosbash and Jeffrey C.
Hall)[8]
2013: Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences (with Michael Rosbash and Jeffrey C. Hall)[20]
2017: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (with Michael Rosbash and Jeffrey C. Hall)[21]
2018: Member of the American Philosophical Society[22]

References
1. "University of Texas at Austin Alum Michael W. Young Awarded Nobel Prize" (https://news.ut
exas.edu/2017/10/02/texas-alum-michael-young-awarded-nobel-prize).
2. "2009 Neuroscience Prize- Michael W. Young" (http://gruber.yale.edu/neuroscience/michael-
w-young). Biology. Gruber Foundation. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
3. Cha, Arlene Eujung (October 2, 2017). "Nobel in physiology, medicine awarded to three
Americans for discovery of 'clock genes' " (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-h
ealth/wp/2017/10/02/nobel-prize-in-medicine-or-physiology-awarded-to-tktk/?hpid=hp_hp-m
ore-top-stories_nobel-550am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory). Washington Post. Retrieved
October 2, 2017.
4. "The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Press Release" (https://www.nobelprize.
org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2017/press.html). The Nobel Foundation. October 2,
2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
5. "Biographical Notes of Laureates" (http://www.shawprize.org/en/shaw.php?tmp=3&twoid=94
&threeid=219&fourid=370). Biology. The Shaw Foundation. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
6. "Autobiography of Michael Young" (http://www.shawprize.org/en/shaw.php?tmp=3&twoid=94
&threeid=219&fourid=386&fiveid=184). Biology. The Shaw Foundation. Retrieved April 6,
2015.
7. Tom Uhler (October 4, 2017). "This North Texas high school claims a Nobel Prize winner" (ht
tp://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast-tarrant/article176971501.html).
Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
8. "Mike Young to Receive Shaw Prize" (https://www.rockefeller.edu/news/6984-mike-young-to
-receive-shaw-prize/). The Rockefeller University. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
9. Bargiello, Thaddeus; Rob Jackson; Michael Young (1984). "Restoration of circadian
behavioral rhythms by gene transfer in Drosophila". Nature. 312 (5996): 752–754.
Bibcode:1984Natur.312..752B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1984Natur.312..752B).
doi:10.1038/312752a0 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2F312752a0). PMID 6440029 (https://pubm
ed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6440029). S2CID 4259316 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:42
59316).
10. Jackson, Rob; Thaddeus Bargiello; Suk-Hyeon Yun; Michael Young (1986). "Product of per
locus of Drosophila shares homology with proteoglycans". Nature. 320 (6058): 185–188.
Bibcode:1986Natur.320..185J (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1986Natur.320..185J).
doi:10.1038/320185a0 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2F320185a0). PMID 3081818 (https://pubm
ed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3081818). S2CID 4305720 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:43
05720).
11. Baylies, Mary; Thaddeus Bargiello; Rob Jackson; Michael Young (1986). "Changes in the
abundance or structure of the per gene product can affect the periodicity of the Drosophila
clock". Nature. 326 (6111): 390–392. doi:10.1038/326390a0 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2F326
390a0). PMID 2436052 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2436052). S2CID 4253390 (http
s://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:4253390).
12. Sehgal, Amita; Adrian Rothenfluh-Hilfiker; Melissa Hunter-Ensor; Yifeng Chen; Michael
Myers; Michael Young (1995). "Rhythmic expression of timeless: a basis for promoting
circadian cycles in period gene autoregulation". Science. 270 (5237): 808–810.
Bibcode:1995Sci...270..808S (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995Sci...270..808S).
doi:10.1126/science.270.5237.808 (https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.270.5237.808).
PMID 7481772 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7481772). S2CID 38151127 (https://api.se
manticscholar.org/CorpusID:38151127).
13. Saez, Lino; Michael Young (1996). "Regulation of nuclear entry of the Drosophila clock
proteins period and timeless" (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0896-6273%2800%2980222-6).
Neuron. 17 (5): 808–810. doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80222-6 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fs
0896-6273%2800%2980222-6). PMID 8938123 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8938123).
S2CID 2106981 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:2106981).
14. Myers, Michael; Karen Smith; Adrian Hilfiker; Michael Young (1996). "Light-induced
degradation of TIMELESS and entrainment of the Drosophila circadian clock". Science. 271
(5256): 1736–1740. Bibcode:1996Sci...271.1736M (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996
Sci...271.1736M). doi:10.1126/science.271.5256.1736 (https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.2
71.5256.1736). PMID 8596937 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8596937). S2CID 6811496
(https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:6811496).
15. Lee, Choogon; Vaishali Parikh; Tomoko Itsukaichi; Kiho Bae; Isaac Edery (1996). "Resetting
the Drosophila clock by photic regulation of PER and a PER-TIM complex". Science. 271
(5256): 1740–1744. Bibcode:1996Sci...271.1740L (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996S
ci...271.1740L). doi:10.1126/science.271.5256.1740 (https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.27
1.5256.1740). PMID 8596938 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8596938). S2CID 24416627
(https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:24416627).
16. Price, Jeffrey; Justin Blau; Adrian Rothenfluh; Marla Abodeely; Brian Kloss; Michael Young
(1998). "double-time Is a Novel Drosophila Clock Gene that Regulates PERIOD Protein
Accumulation" (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0092-8674%2800%2981224-6). Cell. 94 (1):
83–95. doi:10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81224-6 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0092-8674%280
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17. Toh, Kong; Christopher Jones; Yan He; Erik Eide; William Hinz; David Virshup; Louis
Ptacek; Ying Fu (2001). "An hPer2 phosphorylation site mutation in familial advanced sleep
phase syndrome". Science. 291 (5506): 1040–1043. Bibcode:2001Sci...291.1040T (https://u
i.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001Sci...291.1040T). CiteSeerX 10.1.1.722.460 (https://citeseer
x.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.722.460). doi:10.1126/science.1057499 (https://
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232563). S2CID 1848310 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:1848310).
18. Kloss, Brian; Jeffrey L. Price; Lino Saez; Justin Blau; Adrian Rothenfluh; Cedric S. Wesley;
Michael W. Young (1998). "The Drosophila Clock Gene double-time Encodes a Protein
Closely Related to Human Casein Kinase Iε" (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0092-8674%280
0%2981225-8). Cell. 94 (1): 97–107. doi:10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81225-8 (https://doi.org/1
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19. "Michael W. Young | The Gruber Foundation" (http://gruber.yale.edu/neuroscience/michael-
w-young). gruber.yale.edu. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
20. "Wiley: Twelfth Annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences Awarded to Dr. Michael Young,
Dr. Jeffrey Hall and Dr. Michael Rosbash" (http://www.shawprize.org/en/shaw.php?tmp=3&t
woid=94&threeid=219&fourid=386&fiveid=184). Biology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Retrieved
April 6, 2015.
21. Sample, Ian (October 2, 2017). "Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W Young win
2017 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine – as it happened" (https://www.theguardian.com/
science/live/2017/oct/02/the-2017-nobel-prize-in-physiology-or-medicine-live). The
Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved
October 2, 2017.
22. "Election of New Members at the 2018 Spring Meeting | American Philosophical Society" (htt
ps://www.amphilsoc.org/blog/election-new-members-2018-spring-meeting).

External links
Michael W. Young's Rockefeller Lab Page (http://www.rockefeller.edu/research/faculty/labhe
ads/MichaelYoung/)
Michael Young describes his work with Drosophila genes and specific mutations that
produce changes in the sleep-wake cycle. Young goes on to discuss the implications of his
findings in the medical field. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_ic5LpyfxI) on YouTube
Michael W. Young (https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/940) on Nobelprize.org including the
Nobel Lecture 7 December 2017 Time Travels: A 40 Year Journey from Drosophila’s Clock
Mutants to Human Circadian Disorders

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