Dorothea Bennett (December 27, 1929 in Honolulu, Hawaii – August 16, 1990 in Houston, Texas) was a geneticist, known for the genetics of early mammalian development and for research into mammalian sperm surface structures and their role in fertilization and spermatogenesis.[1] She was "one of the major figures in mouse developmental genetics".[2]

Dorothea Bennett
Born(1929-12-27)27 December 1929
Honolulu, Hawaii
Died16 August 1990(1990-08-16) (aged 60)
Houston, Texas
EducationBarnard College, Columbia University
Known forGenetics of early mammalian development
AwardsHonorary doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine at Uppsala University (1981)
Scientific career
FieldsGenetics
InstitutionsDepartment of Zoology at Columbia; Cornell University Medical College; Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research; University of Texas, Austin

Biography edit

She was born on Oahu, Hawaii. She earned a bachelor's degree from Barnard College in 1951 and a doctorate from Columbia University in 1956.[3] She was in the Department of Zoology at Columbia from 1956 to 1962, where she worked with L. C. Dunn and visiting researcher Ann Chester Chandley.[4] Bennett left to join Cornell University Medical College in 1962, where she remained until 1976. From 1976 to 1986 she was at the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research.

Bennett moved to the University of Texas in Austin in 1986, where she was the Alfred W. Roark Centennial Professor and chair of the zoology department, and helped establish the graduate program in molecular biology.[3]

She died of lymphoma in Texas, August 16, 1990.

Notable publications edit

  • "The T-locus of the Mouse", Cell (1975)
  • "Serological Demonstration of H–Y (Male) Antigen on Mouse Sperm", Ellen H. Goldberg, Edward A. Boyse, Dorothea Bennett, Margrit Scheid, and Elizabeth A. Carswell. v.232, pp. 478–480 (Aug. 13, 1971). doi:10.1038/232478a0
  • "Developmental analysis of a mutation with pleiotropic effects in the mouse", Journal of Morphology (1956)
  • "Gene mapping within the T/t complex of the mouse. II. Anomalous position of the H-2 complex in t haplotypes", K Artzt, HS Shin, D Bennett, Cell (1982)
  • "Analogies between embryonic (T/t) antigens and adult major histocompatibility (H-2) antigens", K Artzt, D Bennett, Nature (1975)
  • "A major testicular cell protein specified by a mouse T/t complex gene", LM Silver, K Artzt, D Bennett, Cell (2006)
  • Current Topics in Developmental Biology, v.18: Genome Functions, Cell Interactions, and Differentiation (Academic Press: Feb. 28, 1983)
  • Bennett, Dorothea (1977). "L.C. Dunn and His Contribution to T-Locus Genetics". Annual Review of Genetics. 11 (1). Annual Reviews: 1–12. doi:10.1146/annurev.ge.11.120177.000245. ISSN 0066-4197. PMID 339812.

Awards edit

Further research edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Dorothea Bennett, 60, Geneticist and Teacher" (obituary), The New York Times, Aug. 18, 1990.
  2. ^ "Interview with President Shirley Tilghman", Bioessays (May 2008), v.30, n.5, pp.480-486. PMID 18404704.
  3. ^ a b Teresa Palomo Acosta, "In Memoriam: Dorothea Bennett", University of Texas (Feb. 6, 2001).
  4. ^ Ferguson-Smith, Malcolm (1997-02-01). "Ann Chester Chandley DSc, FIBiol, FRSE A tribute and appreciation on the occasion of her retirement". Chromosome Research. 5 (1): 3–4. doi:10.1023/A:1018429016482. ISSN 1573-6849. PMID 9088637. S2CID 6550920.
  5. ^ "Honorary doctorates – Uppsala University, Sweden". www.uu.se. 9 June 2023.