James Douglas Jamieson (January 22, 1934 – October 22, 2018) was a cell biologist and professor at the

Yale School of Medicine The Yale School of Medicine is the graduate medical school at Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. The primary te ...

. His early research in cell biology of pancreatic acinar cells in the lab of

George Palade George Emil Palade (; November 19, 1912 – October 7, 2008) was a Romanian cell biologist. Described as "the most influential cell biologist ever",

established the function of the

Golgi apparatus The Golgi apparatus (), also known as the Golgi complex, Golgi body, or simply the Golgi, is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. Part of the endomembrane system in the cytoplasm, it packages proteins into membrane-bound vesicles ins ...

in secretory protein trafficking.

Early life and education

Jamieson was born in the small town of

Armstrong, British Columbia The City of Armstrong is located in the North Okanagan of the Canadian province of British Columbia, between Vernon and Enderby. It overlooks the Spallumcheen Valley, which forms a broad pass between the Okanagan Valley to the south and the Sh ...

on January 22, 1934. He attended the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

for his undergraduate and

medical education Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship (medical), internship) and additional training thereafter (e.g., Re ...

s. During medical school, Jamieson took a year off to conduct research, a novel idea for medical students at the time. He owes his interest in research and teaching to this experience with his first mentors
Sydney Friedman
MD-PhD and Constance Friedman, PhD, who came to UBC in 1950 to found the Department of Anatomy at the new medical school. The focus of the Friedman's research was on hypertension and the role of the kidney and electrolyte balance in the maintenance of blood pressure. Jamieson continued his education at the Rockefeller University after receiving his MD (1960), earning his PhD in 1966 and completing his post-doctoral work with

Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...

(1974) George Palade. Within six years of receiving his Ph.D., Jamieson was an Associate Professor of cell biology at the Rockefeller University. This was a scientifically prolific time at the Rockefeller; in addition to George Palade, Jamieson was associated with

Keith Porter Keith Roberts Porter (June 11, 1912 – May 2, 1997) was a Canadian- American cell biologist. He created pioneering biology techniques and research using electron microscopy of cells. Porter also contributed to the development of other experime ...

, Philip Siekevitz,

Christian DeDuve Christian René Marie Joseph, Viscount de Duve (2 October 1917 – 4 May 2013) was a Nobel Prize-winning Belgian cytologist and biochemist. He made serendipitous discoveries of two cell organelles, peroxisome and lysosome, for which he shared t ...

, and many other distinguished scientists. In 1973, Jamieson left the Rockefeller with Dr. Palade to assist in founding the Section of Cell Biology at the Yale School of Medicine. Jamieson was promoted from Associate to Full Professor in 1975. The Section of Cell Biology became the Department of Cell Biology with Jamieson as its first chair (1983–1992). In March 2007, Dr. Jamieson assumed the Interim Chair of the Department, a position he held until June 2008, when James Rothman became Chair.

Research

As a post-doctoral fellow, Jamieson established the role of the

Golgi complex The Golgi apparatus (), also known as the Golgi complex, Golgi body, or simply the Golgi, is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. Part of the endomembrane system in the cytoplasm, it packages proteins into membrane-bound vesicles insi ...

in the protein secretory pathway of pancreatic acinar cells, a seminal discovery of cell biology (Jamieson JD, Palade GE. Intracellular transport of secretory proteins in the pancreatic exocrine cell (I and II). J. Cell Biol. 1967:34:577-615). Jamieson’s laboratory at Yale further explored the regulation of

exocytosis Exocytosis () is a form of active transport and bulk transport in which a cell transports molecules (e.g., neurotransmitters and proteins) out of the cell ('' exo-'' + ''cytosis''). As an active transport mechanism, exocytosis requires the use o ...

of secretory proteins, membrane biogenesis and polarity, and the interactions between the cell membrane and the basement membrane. His laboratory was also involved in the identification of the actin cytoskeleton as essential in the formation of endocytic vesicles in membrane retrieval after exocytosis. After more than 25 years of landmark research in cell biology, Jamieson closed his lab in 2001.

Career

Jamieson was a tenured professor of Cell Biology at Yale University from 1975 until his death. In 1994, he became the Director of Medical Studies in the Department of Cell Biology. He also served as the Director of th
Medical Scientist Training Program at Yale University School of Medicine
for more than twenty years. He served as the president of the American Society for Cell Biology (1982–1983) and the president of the American Pancreatic Association (1989–1990). Jamieson has received many awards for his contributions to cell biology including a Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Gastroenterological Association and the William Go Award by American Pancreatic Association. For his contributions to medical education, he received the Bohmfalk Prize for teaching excellence in basic sciences in 1999 and the teacher of the year award at the Yale University School of Medicine in 2005.

Personal

Jamieson and his wife Cynthia had two daughters, Anne and Laura and five grandchildren. He spent most summer weekends on his sailboat, the CYLAN II. He was often be spotted eating lunch with medical students of Yale and was always a favorite professor. He died on October 22, 2018 at the age of 84.

References

*Jamieson, J.D., and G.E. Palade. 1967. J. Cell Biol. 34:57

*Jamieson, J.D., and G.E. Palade. 1967. J. Cell Biol. 34:59
American Society of Cell Biology Member profile
*Other Publications (PubMe

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamieson, James D. Yale School of Medicine faculty 21st-century American biologists 1934 births 2018 deaths