Marc Zimmer

About Marc

Glowing Genes

The Rise and Fall of Nicholas Evans

Research Interests

Research Students

Other Interests

Recent Publications

Curriculum Vitae

About Marc

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Marc Zimmer was born in a small town in South Africa. He wanted to be a game warden when he grew-up, but his mother wanted him to be a medical doctor. Although his handwriting is worthy of prescription pads he went to university with the intent of becoming game ranger. However, his dreams of looking after herds of elephants were terminated by an introductory botany course, which he failed. Fortunately he discovered the joy and fascination of playing with molecules. This resulted in a change in majors from biology to chemistry. While at the University of Witwatersrand he somehow managed to pass chemistry and find his future wife, Dianne, or perhaps she found him. Partly out of interest and partly out of a need to avoid the South African (apartheid) military service he came to the United States, where he got his Ph.D. in chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and did his post-doc at Yale University. He has been at Connecticut College for the last 15 years where he teaches chemistry and studies the proteins involved in producing light in jellyfish and fireflies. He has given talks about his research in India, Cuba, South Africa, all over Europe and the United States of America. Marc is married, has two children, Matthew and Caitlin, and a genetically modified fluorescent mouse called Prometheus. He has written a book about Green Fluorescent Protein, and an as of yet unpublished novel featuring murder by rhino horn, attempted murder using a windsurfer and a unique form of erectile disfunction. Marc has published over 50 research papers about cow flatulence, computational chemistry and bioluminescence in fireflies and jellyfish. His research on Green Fluorescent Protein is funded by the Research Corportation, Dreyfus Foundation and National Institute of Health.

Glowing Genes  (Prometheus Books)

Glowing Genes is published by Prometheus books and can be purchased from Amazon.

            Marc Zimmer has written the first popular science book on an amazing new area of biotechnology, which will help fight cancer, create new products, and improve agriculture. For more than one hundred and sixty million years, green fluorescent protein (GFP) existed in one species of jellyfish. In 1994 it was cloned. Now GFP is found in every conceivable plant and animal. Flatworms, algae, E. coli and monkeys have all been made to fluoresce with GFP. Today researchers are using this ancient glowing protein to pursue exciting new discoveries, from tracking the process of bacterial infection to detecting chemical and biological agents planted by terrorists. A recognized expert in this field, Zimmer begins with an overview of the many uses of these glowing genes to kill and image cancer cells, monitor bacterial infections, and light up in the presence of pollution. He then discusses the biological reasons that glowing proteins first evolved in jellyfish and fireflies and looks at the history of bioluminescence and the dedicated scientists who devoted their careers to explaining this phenomenon. The story of how “glowing genes” were located, cloned and then mass-produced is in itself a fascinating tale.

            Zimmer next turns to the serious, and not-so-serious, uses of fluorescent proteins. In agriculture it may soon be possible to produce crops that signal dryness by glowing. In industry a red fluorescent protein originally found in corals may find a use in sheep as a substitute for environmentally harmful wool dyes. The glowing gene revolution has led to significantly more humane treatment of laboratory animals. No longer must animals lives be sacrificed to understand disease processes; now researchers can observe the spread of cancer with green fluorescent proteins. In the fight against terrorism, a glowing gene has been created that lights up in the presence of anthrax spores, chemical warfare agents and landmines. And in a completely different arena, we have already seen the emergence of transgenic art in Alba, the fluorescent bunny rabbit.

            The description of the evolution of the glowing gene techniques, and their applications make reading this book fascinating, and at time slightly disturbing. How can one resist not being both intrigued and slightly unnerved by pigs that have yellow toenails and snouts? (Taken from the Prometheus Trade Catalog).

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Research Interests

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Research Students

Since joining Connecticut College fifty two students have done research with me. Thirty have co-authored peer reviewed publications and thirty-three have presented talks or posters. Thirty-three of the students have been female and eightteen minority students. Seven students have gone on to medical school and 14 to a graduate program in the sciences.

Students working with me in 2007

Summer: Elizabeth Archer; Luisa Dickson; Colleen Megley and Alicia Morgan

Alicia, Elizabeth, Luisa and Colleen showing off their summer '07 T-shirts.

Spring: Scott Maddalo; Nate Lemay; Andrew Weber

Scott presented his work on Capital Hill and we posed for a photograph with Hillary Clinton

In January Curren Mbofana, Justin Rosenberg, Emily Ricketson and Nate Lemay went to the SPIE Photonics West conference in San Jose

Nate, Curren, Emily and Justin at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

More about students, and pictures of students.

Other Interests

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• The Family - Dianne and the kids
• Matthew at the aquarium ,at age 8, with a cheetah, riding a hippo, Matthew with his twin. on Vieques, with baboons and with Skye.
• Caitlin just after her second birthday, with her babies, Caitlin with hat, Caitlin in Snow , in Vieques, Caitlin vamping. and finally Caitlin with a baboon.
• Playing squash.

• "Chromophore Formation in Green Fluorescent Protein." B. Branchini, A. Nemser, M. Zimmer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998,120,1.
• "Conformational Analysis of Cobalt(III), Copper(II), and Nickel(II) Six-Membered-Ring Systems." M.F. DaCruz, M. Zimmer Inorg. Chem. 1998, 37, 366.
• "Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Histidine 245 in Firefly Luciferase: A proposed Model for the Active Site" B. Branchini, R. Magyar, M. Murtiashaw, S. Anderson, M. Zimmer, Biochemistry 1998,37, 15311.
• "Molecular Mechanical and Cluster Analysis of Fourteen-Membered Cobalt(III) Macrocyclic Complexes." C. Cooper, M. Zimmer.Structural Chem. 1999, 10, 17.
• "Structural Analysis of All the nickel Fourteen-Membered Tetraaza Macrocycles in the Cambridge Structural Database." M. A. Donnelly, M. Zimmer Inorg. Chem.1999, 38, 1650.
• "Conformational Analysis of Copper(II) 1,4,8,11,-tetraazacyclotetradecane Macrocyclic Systems" M. Bakaj, M. Zimmer.J. Mol. Struct. 1999, 59, 508.
• "Conformational Searching of Transition Metal Compounds." Jessica Bartol, Peter Comba, Michael Melter, Marc Zimmer J. Comp. Chem. 1999, 20, 1549.
• "Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Firefly Luciferase Active Site Amino Acids: A Proposed Model for Bioluminscence Color." B. Branchini, R. Magyar, M. Murtiashaw, S. Anderson, L. C. Helgerson, M. Zimmer, Biochemistry 1999, 38, 13223.
• "A Molecular Mechanical Analysis of the Active Site of Urease with a Special Emphasis on Determining the Binding Conformations Available to Oxygen-bound Urea." C. Csiki, M. Zimmer , J. Biomol. Struct. & Dynam. 1999, 17, 121.
• "Molecular Mechanics Evaluation of the Proposed Mechanisms for the Degradation of Urea by Urease" M. Zimmer J. Biomol. Struct. & Dynam. 2000, 17, 787.
• "Computational Analysis of the First Biheterocyclization Site of the Antibiotic Microcin B17." M. A. Donnelly, M. Zimmer J. Biomol. Struct. & Dynam. 2000, 17, 779.
• "First Example of a double stranded helicate with square-planar coordination for the metal" M. Zimmer, D.A. Tocher, G.K. Patra, J.P. Naskar, D. Datta, Indian J. Chem. 1999, 38A, 1087.
• "A Theoretical Study of the Mechanism of Peptide Ring Formation in Green Fluorescent Protein" P.E.M. Siegbahn, M. Wirstam, M. Zimmer, International Journal of Quantum Chemistry 2001, 81, 169
• "Conformational/Configurational Analysis of All the Binding Geometries of Cobalt(III) Bleomycin." F. Fedeles, M. Zimmer Inorg. Chem. 2001, 40, 1557. 38.
• "Conformational Analysis of the Non-Planar Deformations of Cobalt Porphyrin Complexes in the Cambridge Structural Database" D. L. Cullen, L. V. Desai, M. Zimmer, J. A. Shelnutt Struct. Chem. 2001, 12, 237. 39.
• "Computational Analysis of the Autocatalytic Posttranslational Cyclization Observed in Histidine Ammonia-Lyase. A Comparison with Green Fluorescent Protein." M. Donnelly, F. Fedeles, M. Wirstam, P. E. M. Siegbahn, M. Zimmer J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 4679. 40.
• "Photoisomerization of Green Fluorescent Protein and the Dimensions of the Chromophore Cavity." M. C. Chen, C. R. Lambert, J. D. Urgitis, M. Zimmer Chem. Phys. 2001, 270, 157-164.
• "Molecular Mechanics, Data and Conformational Analysis of First-Row Transition Metal Complexes in the Cambridge Structural Database." M. Zimmer Coord. Chem. Rev. 2001, 212, 133.
• "Computational Analysis of Thr203 in Green Fluorescent Protein" A. Warren, M. Zimmer, J. Mol. Graphics & Modelling 2001, 19, 297.
• "Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP): Applications, Structure and Related Photophysical Behavior.” M. Zimmer Chem. Rev. 2002, 102, 759.
• "Using the Cambridge Structural Database to Introduce Important Inorganic Concepts” T. V. Davis, M. S. Zaveer, M. Zimmer J. Chem. Ed. 2002, 79, 1278.
• "The Moderating Influence Of Proteins On Non-Planar Tetrapyrrole Deformations. Coenzyme F430 In Methyl Coenzyme-M Reductase. L.N. Todd, M. Zimmer Inorg. Chem. 2002, 41, 6831.
• "The New Industrialized Approach to Biology: Review of: Modules in Emerging Fields. Volume 4: Genomics and Proteomics, by Lucienne Ronco, Martha Grossel, Marc Zimmer, and Thomas Socash; CD-ROM.” A. Attie Cell Biology Education 2003, 2, 150.
• "Structural Analysis of the Immature Form of the GFP Analog DsRed.” M.S. Zaveer, M. Zimmer Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2003, 13, 3919
• “Substrate Selectivity and Conformational Space Available to Bromoxynil and Acrylonitrile in Iron Nitrile Hydratase.” Dalton Transactions L.V. Desai, M. Zimmer, 2004, 872-877.
• “Structural Analysis of the Conformational Flexibility of Tris(pyrazolyl)borate Ligands and Their Analogues.” Inorganic Chemistry,  H. DeBari, M. Zimmer, 2004, 43, 3344-3348.
• “Hula-Twisting in Green Fluorescent Protein.” Chemical Physics, N.-Y. Baffour, M. Zimmer, 2004, 303, 7-11.
• “Mutagenesis Evidence that the Partial Reactions of Firefly Bioluminescence Are Catalyzed by Different Conformations of the Luciferase C-Terminal Domain.” B.R. Branchini, T.L. Southworth, M.H. Murtiashaw, S.R. Wilkinson, N.F. Khattak, J.C. Rosenberg, and M. Zimmer, Biochemistry 2005, 44, 1385-1393.
• “Structural features responsible for GFPuv and S147P-GFP’s improved fluorescence.” N.-Y. Baffour-Awuah, F. Fedeles, M. Zimmer Chemical Physics 2005, 310, 25-31
• “How to find students' inner geek.” M.Zimmer, The Chronicle of Higher Education 2005, August 12, B5.
• “The Role of the Protein Matrix in GFP Fluorescence.” S.L. Maddalo*, M.Zimmer , Photochemistry and Photobiology, 2006, 82, 367-372.
• “Non-Retinal Chromophoric Proteins.” M. Zimmer in “Cis-Trans Isomerization: from Biology to Supramolecular Chemistry.” C. Dugave, Ed. Wiley VCH, Weinheim, Germany, 2006.
• “Effect of the Methyl-Coenzyme-M Reductase Protein Matrix on the Hole-Size and Nonplanar Deformations of Coenzyme F430.” C. Mbofana, M. Zimmer Inorg. Chem.  2006, 45, 2598-2602.
• “Life in the Circus” M. Zimmer Inside Higher Ed, Views, 2006, July 7.
• “Guerrilla Puzzling: a Model for Research.” M. Zimmer The Chronicle of Higher Education 2007, February 16, B5.
• “Are American Scientists an Endangered Species?” M. Zimmer Inside Higher Ed, Views, 2007, July 2.
• “College Shoppers: Check Out The Fit” M. Zimmer and E.V. Gallagher Hartford Courant, 2007, July 2.

 

The Rise and Fall of Nicholas Evans (Publisher required)

Prologue (1000 words): Dr. Matthew Connor is an expert in erectile dysfunction. He is about to retire, since treating the same old problems is no longer interesting. Then he meets Nicholas Evans, whose case is unique. Here is his story.

Part 1- Nick Evan’s Story  (86,000 words): Nick Evans is having a terrible time, his fiancé has left him and his penis no longer functions correctly. It has got a Pinochio-complex; whenever Nick lies it rears up and grows, when he tells the truth it deflates. To complicate matters further, Nick’s father is killed when a wooden rhino falls and impales him on its horn. It is no accident, and if Nick isn’t careful he will become the next murder victim. The police aren’t taking the case seriously. Nick starts his own investigation. There are two attempts on his life, one using a windsurfer and the other a scorpion. He finds the murderer, but can’t prove his guilt or get the police interested. Finally, thanks to a harebrained scheme and larger than average pair of breasts, the murderer implicates himself and is arrested.

Part 2- Dr. Matthew Connor’s Story (11,000 words): Dr. Connor explains how he came to specialize in erectile dysfunction and how he successfully treated Nicholas Evans.

Market Survey (Totally unscientific):

Andrew Quill, urologist – “I wet my pants, it was so funny.”

Vicki Fontneau, chemist - "Hysterical and intriguing all the way to the end. Never a dull moment.  I laughed out loud ....sometimes laughed until tears were rolling down my face !"

East Lyme Writers Group – “This one has more commercial potential than anything we have read from in years.”

Eugene Gallagher, Prof. Religon – “I'd buy this for myself and buy copies for my friends.  A riot--and instructive, too”