Professor

George Rogers

AO FAA

George Rogers
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Dr Rogers has long been recognised as an authority on the structure of keratin and was a pioneer in the application of electron microscopy to hair and wool ultrastructure and to that of the hair follicle. He was also the discoverer of the existence of citrulline in keratin proteins. His more recent work has been concerned with the biogenesis of keratins which has lead to the group under his direction making major advances in the field of the molecular biology of keratin production. In this the keratins of feathers have been characterised as an homologous group of proteins, messenger RNA for keratin isolated in pure form and in vitro keratin synthesis has been achieved. By using complementary DNA to the messenger an elegant study of the arrangement and control of keratin genes in the chromosome is possible and is well under way.

Expertise type

  • Animal Biology
  • Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Wool and Hair Production

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Conversation with scientist

Professor George Rogers, biochemist

George Ernest Rogers was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1927. He was educated at the University of Melbourne graduating with a BSc (1949) and MSc (1951). Rogers then went to the University of Cambridge in the UK on a CSIRO scholarship, graduating with a PhD in 1956. He returned to Australia and the Division of Protein Chemistry at CSIRO as a senior research officer (1957–62). He joined the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Adelaide in 1963 where he began as a reader (1963–77), before being promoted to professor (1978–92). Rogers also served as department head from 1988 to 1992. In 1992 Rogers became an emeritus professor at the University of Adelaide and in 1995 he was asked to be the program manager of Premium Quality Wool CRC (1995–2000). During his career Rogers made key findings in the field of hair research. In particular, he looked at the molecular structure of hair keratins and investigated how to manipulate their properties through gene expression and regulation.
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