A computational case study of Günter Blobel’s idea of protein topogenesis and its influence
Shane T. Jinson, Jane Maienschein, Manfred Laubichler · 2026
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Description
Shane Jinson, Jane Maienschein, and Manfred Laubichler present a 2026 case study on how a science idea spreads. They test a claim that Günter Blobel's 1980 idea of protein topogenesis shaped cell biology more than its citation count shows. Topogenesis means how proteins are placed in space inside cells.
Using computer tools on journal texts from the 1980s to the 2010s, they tracked word patterns over time. Terms tied to Blobel's idea first rose among papers that cited him, then spread to the wider field about five years later. Most cell biologists skipped his own terms, yet his concepts still diffused widely.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Shane T. Jinson, Jane Maienschein, Manfred Laubichler |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 36265 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |