Roger Tsien Papers
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Copyright 2019
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Descriptive Summary
Languages:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: Roger Tsien Papers
Creator:
Tsien, Roger Y.
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0792
Physical Description:
9.25 Linear feet
(22 archives boxes, 1 card file box, 2 oversized folders)
Date (inclusive): 1972-2010
Abstract: Papers of Roger Y. Tsien (1952-2016), biochemist and professor of pharmacology, chemistry, and biochemistry. Tsien was awarded
the Nobel Prize in 2008 for his research on green fluorescent protein. The collection includes correspondence, writings, research
materials, laboratory notebooks, and video recordings.
Scope and Content of Collection
Papers of Roger Y. Tsien (1952-2016), biochemist and professor of pharmacology, chemistry, and biochemistry at the University
of California, San Diego and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Tsien shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008 for his
research on the development and expression of green fluorescent protein. The collection includes correspondence, writings,
research materials, laboratory notebooks, and video recordings.
Arranged in five series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) WRITINGS, 3) RESEARCH PROJECTS, 4) TEACHING MATERIALS, and 5) VIDEO RECORDINGS.
Biography
Roger Yonchien Tsien was born February 1, 1952 in New York City. At the age of sixteen, he was awarded first prize in the
1968 Westinghouse Science Talent Search. He attended Harvard College and graduated with a B.S. in chemistry and physics in
1972, followed by a Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Cambridge in 1977. Tsien was a research fellow at Cambridge
from 1977 to 1981, and assistant professor of physiology and anatomy at UC Berkeley from 1982-1989. In 1989, he became professor
of pharmacology, chemistry, and biochemistry at UC San Diego, as well as an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Tsien was best known for his research in the expression and development of green fluorescent protein (GFP). Originally found
in bioluminescent jellyfish, fluorescent proteins can be used to tag proteins in living cells, allowing biological processes
to be viewed in real time. Tsien and his colleagues Osamu Shimomura of the Marine Biological Laboratory and Martin Chalfie
of Columbia University shared the Nobel Prize in 2008 for their discovery and research into green fluorescent protein. Tsien
and his laboratory at UC San Diego developed a variety of colors of fluorescent proteins, which could be used to visualize
biological functions simultaneously, and developed fluorescent dyes for use in calcium imaging.
Roger Tsien was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Institute
of Medicine, and the Royal Society of London. He received the UC San Diego Lifetime Innovation Award in 2009, and the Wolf
Prize in Medicine in 2004. Tsien died on August 24, 2016 in Eugene, Oregon.
Preferred Citation
Roger Tsien Papers. MSS 792. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 2017
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Restrictions
Original video recordings are restricted. Researchers may request viewing copies in advance of their visit.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Green fluorescent protein
Biochemists -- California -- San Diego
Tsien, Roger Y. -- Archives
University of California, San Diego. School of Medicine -- Faculty -- Archives
CORRESPONDENCE
Scope and Content of Series
Series 1) CORRESPONDENCE: Tsien's correspondence from 1981-1995, primarily with biochemistry researchers on fluorescent imaging.
Arranged alphabetically by surname or corporate name.
Box 1, Folder 2
Adrian, Richard Hume and Lucy
1985-1995
Box 1, Folder 5
Baker, Peter F.
1984-1985
Box 1, Folder 6
Barker, Jeffery L.
1983-1985
Box 1, Folder 7
Baylor, Stephen
1983-1988
Box 1, Folder 8
Bellelli, Andrea
1987
General note
Includes photograph of melanoma B16 cells treated with fluorescent ricin.
Box 1, Folder 9
Berchtold, Martin W.
1991
General note
Includes notes for Tsien's film on Ca²⁺.
Box 1, Folder 10
Berggren, Per-Olof
1985-1988
Box 1, Folder 11
Berridge, Michael J.
1988-1991
Box 1, Folder 13
Bolsover, Stephen
1987-1988
Box 1, Folder 15
Brown, Edward M.
1984-1987
Box 1, Folder 16
Brunet, Jean-Francois
1991-1993
Box 1, Folder 17
Bullock, Theodore H.
1984
Box 1, Folder 21
Carafoli, Ernesto
1986-1993
Box 1, Folder 22
Chen, Tsung-Hsien
1982-1983
Box 1, Folder 23
Chiesi, Michele
1990-1991
Box 1, Folder 24
Cobbold, Peter H.
1984-1990
Box 1, Folder 25
Conn, P. Michael
1982-1985
Box 1, Folder 27
Covalent Associates (Victor R. Koch)
1985-1987
Box 1, Folder 28
Czerlinski, George
1989-1992
Box 1, Folder 30
Delumeau, J. Christophe
1988-1989
Box 1, Folder 35
Eisenberg, Robert S.
1989-1991
Box 1, Folder 37
Fay, Fredric S.
1984-1992
Box 1, Folder 39
Forsén, Sture and Sara Linse
1983-1992
Box 1, Folder 42
Genesis Consulting Services
1992
Box 1, Folder 43
Grattarola, Massimo
1983-1984
Box 2, Folder 6
Grynkiewicz, Grzegorz
1984-1993
Box 2, Folder 9
Hanley, Michael R.
1986-1987
Box 2, Folder 10
Haugland, Richard (Molecular Probes, Inc.)
1985-1987
Box 2, Folder 11
Heikkila, Reino
1982-1983
Box 2, Folder 12
Holmuhamedov, E.L.
1989-1990
Box 2, Folder 18
Jeromin, Andreas
1990-1993
Box 2, Folder 19
Jouvin, Marie-Hèléne
1993-1994
Box 2, Folder 23
Lamb, Trevor D.
1985-1987
Box 2, Folder 26
Leong, Denis A.
1985-1986
Box 2, Folder 27
Lester, Henry A.
1984-1990
Box 2, Folder 30
Meldolesi, Jacopo
1985-1992
Box 2, Folder 32
Moolenaar, Wouter H.
1982-1988
Box 2, Folder 37
Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK Enterprises)
1986-1988
Box 3, Folder 3
Polito, Vito S.
1985-1986
Box 3, Folder 4
Potter, Barry V.L.
1989-1991
Box 3, Folder 10
Schmitt-Verhulst, Anne-Marie
1987-1994
Box 3, Folder 11
Semmelhack, Martin F.
1989-1991
Box 3, Folder 12
Sheu, Shey-Shing
1984-1986
Box 3, Folder 15
Snowdowne, Kenneth W.
1984-1986
Box 3, Folder 16
Somlyo, Andrew P. and Jack H. Kaplan
1988
Box 3, Folder 20
Takai, Yoshimi
1984
General note
Includes photographs of Timothy Rink and Roger Tsien in Tsien's laboratory.
Box 3, Folder 21
Terasaki, Mark
1989-1990
General note
Includes photographs of calcium imaging in sea urchin eggs.
Box 3, Folder 22
Tsien, Richard W.
1986-1991
Box 3, Folder 24
Vijayaraghavan, Sukumar
1993
Box 3, Folder 29
Williamson, Richard E.
1982
Box 3, Folder 30
Wilson, H. Alexander (Sandy)
1983-1986
Box 3, Folder 36
Yuspa, Stuart H. and Henry Hennings
1982
WRITINGS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 2) WRITINGS: Manuscripts, drafts, correspondence and notes for Tsien's writings on green fluorescent protein, and a
bound copy of his Ph.D. dissertation,
The Design and Use of Organic Chemical Tools in Cellular Physiology. Also includes a guide and an annotated printout of a computer program written by Tsien for the digital imaging system used
in his laboratory. Arranged by title.
Box 4, Folder 1
The Design and Use of Organic Chemical Tools in Cellular Physiology. Ph.D. dissertation submitted to Churchill College, University of Cambridge
1976 September
Box 4, Folder 2-3
Digital imaging computer program - Annotated printout
1992
Box 4, Folder 4
Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET): A Biological Readout for Molecular Proximity
undated
Box 4, Folder 5
GFP for Relatively Lay Audiences
1996
Box 4, Folder 6
Green Fluorescent Protein Mutants as Indicators of Phosphorylation. With Andrew B. Cubitt
1998
Box 4, Folder 7-8
Guide to Operating the Ratio Imaging Processing System
1985-1990
Box 4, Folder 9
The Three-Dimensional Structure of Green Fluorescent Protein Resembles a Lantern. With C.-K. Wu, et al
1997
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 3) RESEARCH PROJECTS: Laboratory notebooks, notes, data, and images created by Tsien and members of his lab. Arranged
in three subseries: A) Notebooks and Notes, B) Green Fluorescent Protein, and C) Tsien Laboratory.
A) Notebooks and Notes: Research notebooks, notes, and binders kept by Tsien. Nine bound laboratory notebooks from 1972-1995
contain research notes with dated entries. Some volumes include inserted notes, data, and images. Seventy-seven spiral bound
notebooks from 1972-2010 were numbered by Tsien and contain research notes, notes on scientific publications, personal notes,
and appointments. Many of the entries are undated. Four unlabeled research binders with data and notes from 1982-1991 were
numbered during processing. Tsien also kept notebooks on calcium and sodium ion chelators, and notes on software and electronic
circuits.
B) Green Fluorescent Protein: Correspondence, notes, data and images regarding green fluorescent protein research, as well
as laboratory protocols written by chemist Alice Y. Ting while she was a postdoctoral researcher in Tsien's lab.
C) Tsien Laboratory: Laboratory notebooks kept by members of Tsien's lab, including Akwasi Minta, Carsten Schultz, Grzegorz
Grynkiewicz, Javier Garcia-Sancho, Lewis R. Makings, Tito Gonzalez, and Wenhong Li. Topics include nuclear magnetic resonance,
chelators, buffers, and dyes.
Box 4, Folder 10-11
Ca²⁺ chelators - Biology
1983
Box 5, Folder 1-3
Ca²⁺ chelators - Chemistry
1983-1988
Box 5, Folder 4
Close-Up modem remote communications software - Notes
1994
Box 5, Folder 5
General IC and semiconductor specifications - Notes
Box 5, Folder 6-9
Laboratory notebooks
1972 October 16-1977 July 18
Box 6, Folder 1-5
Laboratory notebooks
1977 July 18-1995 January 2
Box 7, Folder 1-11
Notebooks #3-13
1973-1977
Box 8, Folder 1-10
Notebooks #14-23
1977-1982
Box 9, Folder 1-9
Notebooks #24-32
1983-1990
Box 10, Folder 1-9
Notebooks #33-41
1990-1994
Box 11, Folder 1-8
Notebooks #42-49
1995-1998
Box 12, Folder 1-8
Notebooks #50-57
1998-2002
Box 13, Folder 1-6
Notebooks #58-63
2002-2005
Box 14, Folder 1-8
Notebooks #64-71
2005-2008
Box 15, Folder 1-6
Notebooks #72-77
2008-2010
Box 15, Folder 7-8
Research binder #1
1982-1983
Oversize FB-529, Folder 4
Research binder #2
1983-1984
Box 16, Folder 1-7
Research binders #3-4
1983-1991
Green Fluorescent Protein
Box 16, Folder 9
Laboratory protocols by postdoctoral researcher Alice Y. Ting
2002
Box 16, Folder 10
Notes, data and images
1994-1996
Box 17, Folder 1-2
Notes, data and images
1984-2002
Box 17, Folder 3-6
Akwasi Minta - Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
1983-1987
General note
FLUO and Rhod precursors. Orthoesterification. BAPTA. Sodium and potassium. Miscellaneous.
Box 17, Folder 7
A.M. #1. A) Dyes, B) Sodium chelators, C) Oxygen chelators, D) Buffers
1983-1984
Box 18, Folder 1-4
Carsten Schultz - Journals #1-3 and NMR Spectra
1990-1993
Box 18, Folder 5-7
Grzegorz Grynkiewicz - NMR-I and II
1983-1984
General note
Experimental procedures, BAPTA derivatives, model heterocycles and their immediate precursors. Substrates, etc. Acetals and
TMSX reactions.
Box 19, Folder 1-3
Grzegorz Grynkiewicz - NMR-II, and untitled notebook
1983-1984
General note
Acetals and TMSX reactions. Spect. Greg's models.
Box 19, Folder 4
Javier Garcia-Sancho - Selected results and summary
undated
Oversize FB-529, Folder 5
Laboratory notebook. 1) Acetylinic dyes 2) Fluorenone dyes 3) Na⁺ (Acridine chem.) 4) Cyanine dyes
1984-1987
Box 19, Folder 5
Lewis R. Makings - LRMI
1985-1989
Box 19, Folder 6-7
Tito Gonzalez - Laboratory notebooks #1-2
1993-1995
Box 20, Folder 1-2
Tito Gonzalez - Laboratory notebooks #4-5
1995-1996
Box 20, Folder 3-5
Wenhong Li - LIW-INO, LIW-IN (95D) and 94 M
1993-1996
TEACHING MATERIALS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 4) TEACHING MATERIALS: Correspondence, lecture notes, syllabi, course reviews, exam questions, and images for courses
and seminars taught by Tsien in cell biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, and organic chemistry.
Box 20, Folder 6
BMS 210: Cell Biology
1990-1994
Box 20, Folder 7
BMS 212: Principles of Cellular Pharmacology
1992
Box 20, Folder 8
BMS 224: Basic Science Discovery Connects to Therapeutics seminar
1997
Box 20, Folder 9
BMS 229: Methods in Pharmacology
1990-1991
Box 20, Folder 10
BMS 230: Receptors and Signal Transduction. With Timothy J. Rink
1988-1999
Box 20, Folder 11-12
BMS 231: Contemporary Topics in Pharmacology. With Palmer Taylor
1992-2003
Box 20, Folder 13
BMS 297: Introduction to Research
1990
Box 21, Folder 1-2
CBB Reading Group: Drugs of the Future
1996-2001
Box 21, Folder 3-4
CBB Reading Group: Modern Techniques in Drug Discovery
1998-2001
Box 21, Folder 5-8
Chemistry 140: Organic Chemistry
1988-1994
Box 22, Folder 1
CMPP 217: Cellular and Molecular Physiology/Pharmacology
1989
Box 22, Folder 2
MED 260: Modern Techniques of Biomedical Research
1993-1994
Box 22, Folder 3
Neurosciences 234: Molecular and Cellular Neurochemistry
1996-1998
Box 22, Folder 4
Pathology 231: Modern Methods in Cellular and Molecular Pathology
1992-1993
Box 22, Folder 5
SOM 204: Cell Biology and Biochemistry
2001
Box 22, Folder 6
UC San Diego Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2001-2004
VIDEO RECORDINGS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 5) VIDEO RECORDINGS: VHS videocassette recordings on the use of fluorescent proteins and dyes in intracellular imaging
by Roger Tsien and other researchers at UC San Diego, in NTSC and PAL formats. Notes for a film on calcium imaging can be
found in the CORRESPONDENCE series under Berchtold. Original video recordings are restricted; researchers may request viewing
copies in advance of their visit.
Box 23, Folder 1
Ca²⁺ cAMP images. Roger Tsien, UC San Diego
1993
General note
PAL videocassette.
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply
Box 23, Folder 2
Ca²⁺ waves induced by vasopressin in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. Toru Kawanishi and Roger Tsien, et al
1993 September 13
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply
Box 23, Folder 3
Cameleons in
C. elegans and murine cardiomyocytes. Camgaroo in HeLa. Roger Tsien, et al., UC San Diego
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply
Box 23, Folder 4
Compartmentation of intracellular messengers. Roger Tsien, UC San Diego
1994 January 25
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply
Box 23, Folder 5
Compartmentation of messengers. Roger Tsien
1993 November 12
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply
Box 23, Folder 6
Fura-2, Indo-1, FICRLR images. Colorized theo-3 heart b2. Ca²⁺ cAMP, confocal images. Roger Tsien, et al.
1992 November
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply
Box 23, Folder 7
Fura-2, Indo-1, FICRLR images. Lamprey. Roger Tsien
1992-1993
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply
Box 23, Folder 8
Lobster movie. Imaging of cAMP in lobster stomatogastric ganglion during stimulation of afferent nerve. Roger Tsien, et al,
Department of Pharmacology and Biology, UC San Diego
1996 May 1
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply
Box 23, Folder 9
Nikon RCM demo, 1992. Imaging compartmentation talk, 1993 November. Roger Tsien, et al.
1992-1993
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply
Box 23, Folder 10
Tsien/Kerr/Lev-Ram/Zacharias. Worm, heart, Camgaroo. Roger Tsien, Geoff Baird, and David Zacharias, UC San Diego
1999
General note
PAL videocassette, 4:57:04.
Conditions Governing Access note
Restrictions Apply