The Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Medicine will be awarded in a couple of days. So, I thought that I should at least post on what the prize was awarded in for Chemistry. The winners in 2008 were O. Shimomura, M. Chalfie, and R. Tsien for discovering and developing the green fluorescent protein. GFP has a green or blue fluorescent light when excited at certain wavelengths in certain organisms. Why is this big you ask?
In molecular and cell bio, the protein is used as a reporter for the expression of certain genes. For example, it allows for the detection of cells if the gene is expressed...or even organelles within a cell. Fluorescence microscopy is being used heavily in science; reporters are needed to determined location and if the molecular entity is present. In humans it may be used to determine if an organ or tissue is working properly by seeing what proteins its producing.
Yesterday, the Nobel Prize for Phisiology and Medicine was announced. E. Blackburn, C. Greider, and J. Szostak discovered telomeres and telomerase. Telomeres are at the end of chromosomes and help to protect them from destruction; telomerase is the enzyme that synthesizes telomeres. Telomeres have been in cancer research for years. Over time they become smaller and actually are able to stop the development of cancer through cell senescence (prohibiting further cell division). Malignant cells actually bypass senescence and continue to divide with the activation of telomerase (lengthening the telomeres).
Tomorrow will be the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry...I'll make sure to keep you guys updated =)
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