Gerty Cori and Carbohydrate Metabolism.

G Cori (1886-1957) – nee Gerty Theresa Radniz was born into a Jewish family in Prague. She entered medical school at the University of Prague in 1914 where she met Carl Cori as a classmate with common interests. They obtained medical degree in 1920. Gerty then converted t o C a t h o l i c i s m a n d m a r r i e d Carl. Thereafter they moved to Vienna, where Gerty worked at a Children’s Hospital for the next two years. They spent these years in war shattered Austria, and then immigrated to United States in 1922, becoming American citizens in 1928. Husband and wife, had a truly collaborative relationship professionally throughout their life. Their efforts in this direction were large ly complementary . Initially they worked in the State Institute for the Study of Malignant Disease in Buffalo, New York. In 1931, they moved to St. Louis, Missouri as Washington University Medical School offered positions for both. Initially they encountered o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e i r w o r k i n g together, it being considered “UnAmerican”! Despite her research b a c k g r o u n d , G e r t y wa s o n l y offered a position as a research associate at a token salary of one tenth that received by her husband. She grew up when women were marginalized in science, but her husband insisted on continuing their collaboration, in spite of discouragement by the institution. C a r l a n d G e r t y C o r i s p e n t more than 20 years explor ing how body metabolized glucose. Claude Bernard had discovered glycogen in muscles and l iver long ago. Although insulin effect on blood sugar was known in 1921, biochemical mechanism of carbohydrate metabol ism was not understood. Research was so far done on whole animal, which yielded very l i t t le knowledge. Early breakthrough arrived when Carl thought of the potential of tissue preparation and worked with minced frog muscles. They isolated an unknown intermediate c o m p o u n d c a l l e d g l u c o s e 1-phosphate, now called Cori’s ester. They also established the compound’s structure and identified the enzyme phosphorylase that catalyzed its chemical formation, and showed that Cori ester is the f irst step in the conversion of glycogen into glucose. They further showed that it was also the last step in the conversion of glucose to glycogen as it was a reversible step. This involved very l i t t le energy and maintained the balance between glycogen and glucose. This biochemical cycle is known as Cori’s cycle. In this brilliant collaboration, Carl and Gerty studied how the body metabolizes glucose and advanced the understanding of production and storing of energy. The findings were particularly useful in the development of diabetic treatment. In 1947, the Coris received the Nobel Prize “for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen”. T h e y s h a r e d t h e p r i z e w i t h Bernardo Houssay of Argentina who recognized the role of anterior pituitary in glucose metabolism. Gerty also studied glycogen storage disease, identifying at least four forms, each related to a particular enzyme defect. She died of myelofibrosis in 1957. Although she faced prejudice for being a woman during her times, today Gerty is more celebrated of the Coris as she is a third women after Marie and Irene Curie and – first American woman-to win Nobel Prize. Gerty Cori with molecular formula of Cori ester. Stamp-USA, 2008