Willy Beçak, French-born Brazilian geneticist and biologist (Mulhouse 26 October 1932 – 

Authored 176 papers 

ACHIEVEMENTS

Obtained metaphases in cultures of human chromosomes in Human chromosomes in short term cultures from peripheric blood leucocytes. Rev. Bras. Biologia 21:281-6, 1961

Performed classical studies in literature about sex determining mechanisms and evolution in cytogenetics

With spouse M.L. Beçak authored the first comparative study about snakes sex chromosomes  (1964) 

Comproved differences in chromosomal mechanism of sexual differentiation and constancy of DNA amount in genome of distinct species

Described Odontophrynus barrioi 1982 with Cei & Ruiz (Amphibia)

With R.C. Stocco, C.J. Lindsey, O.P. Ferraz et al. Bovine papillomavirus transmission and chromosomal aberrations. An experimental model. J. Gen. Virol. 79(1):2127-35, 1998

With A.M. Cianciarullo, M.P. Machado, H. Spring & M.F. Trendelenburg. An iron endocytic pathway for the heme synthesis. Mem. Inst. Butantan (2003)

With R.C. Stocco, T.C. Melo, R.F. Carvalho, I. Kerkis et al. Phylogenetic classification and clinical aspects of a new putative Deltapapillomavirus associated with skin lesions in cattle. Genet. Mol. Res. 13:2458-69, 2014

METHODS/TECHNIQUES

With G. Rosenfeld & M.A.R. Barros. Método fotométrico para medição quantitativa de cromossomos (1965)

With M.H.T. Affonso, L.M. Floeter-Winter, C.E. Winter & I.M. Ioshimoto. A simplified procedure for removal of RNA from plasmid DNA preparation. Arq. Biol. Tecnol. 27:718, 1984

With L.M. Floeter-Winter, M.H.T. Affonso, N. Oguiura & C.E. Winter. Construction of a plasmid for cloning in vaccinia virus. Arq. Biol. Tecnol. 28:38, 1985

With H. Hiss, D.M.F. Salvadori & L.R. Ribeiro. An indirect evaluation of liquid insecticide concentrations in atmospheres for mutagenicity experiments. Arq. Biol. Tecnol. 32(4):787-91, 1989

With A. Cianciarullo, E. Leme, I. Raw & F.S. Kubrusly. Ultrastructural chemical reaction to detect saturated phospholipids of a natural lung surfactant. Biotechn. Letters 23:1202-6, 2001

With E. Mori, P.E. Brandão, M.C.C.S.H. Lara, R.C. Stocco et al. Development and optimization of the taqman real-time PCR assay for detection and quantification of equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) 2009 

BRAZILIAN PATENT

Processo para produção de antígeno contra papilomavírus, antígeno, uso do antígeno, vacina e método para profilaxia e tratamento terapêutico de papilomavírus bovino PI2210069 (2010)

DESCRIBED NEW SYNDROMES  

With M.L. Beçak & B.J. Schmidt. Chromosome trisomy of group 13-15 in two cases of generalized congenital analgesia. Lancet 281:664-5, 1963

With R.C. Stocco dos Santos, O.C.O. Barreto, K. Nonoyama et al. X-linked syndrome: Mental retardation, hip luxation, and G6PD variant [GD(+) Butantan]. Am.J. Med. Genet. 39(2):133-6, 1991

With R.C. Stocco, N.H.C.Castro, A.L. Holmes et al. X-linked mental retardation syndrome: clinical elucidation and localization to Xp11.3-Xq21.3. Amer. J. Med. Genet. 118A:255-9, 2003  

With B.J. Schmidt, M.L. Beçak, I. Soibelman, F. Secaf et al. Metaphyseal dysostosis: review of literature; study of a case with cytogenetic analysis. J. Pediat. 63:106-12, 1963 (spondylometaphyseal dysplasia, Schmidt type or Algerian type)

Papers in top journals

With P.H. Saldanha. Taste thresholds for phenylthiourea among Ashkenazic Jews. Science 129(3342):150-1, 1959 

With M.L. Beçak, J.D. Andrade & A. Manissadjian. Extra acrocentric chromosome in a case of giant cavernous haemangiomas with secondary thrombocytopenia. Lancet 2:468-9, 1963

With M.L. Beçak & B.J. Schmidt. Generalized congenital analgesia. The Lancet 281(7293):1271, 1963

With I.M. Moscati. Down syndrome and frequency of intercourse. Lancet 2(8090):629-30, 1978

With M.L. Beçak, N. Leon & D.R. Epps. Discrepancies between bone-marrow and peripheral blood chromosomal constitution. The Lancet 278 (7207):880-1, 1961 

His wife Maria Luiza Pires de Camargo Beçak (São Paulo 01 June 1934 –    )  

Proved the occurrence of spontaneous mechanism of polyploidy

With S. Ohno. Can a protein influence the fate of its own coding sequence? The amino- and carboxyl-terminal regions of H1 histone. Proceed. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90(15):7341-5, 1993

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