A Nobel Prize for gene expression

Posted by on October 2, 2006; This entry is filed under Uncategorized.
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The 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello “for their discovery of RNA interference – gene silencing by double-stranded RNA”. This is the now quite well-known phenomenon of RNA interference (RNAi), in which double-stranded RNA can interact with complementary messenger RNA to block the expression of genes. This discovery was important as it showed how RNA can carry out a specific cellular function without having to be translated into a protein. Since then, there have been many other types of RNAs found to act as gene regulators, including the microRNAs (miRNAs) mentioned by Coffee Mug recently. Some of the protein players involved in RNAi, such as the enzyme Dicer, have been identified, but the mechanisms of action of all these RNAs, especially the more recently discovered types, are still quite uncertain.

5 Comments

  1. rikurzhen October 2nd, 2006 at 1:24 pm

    This is a victory for basic science research. Hopefully it will do something to sway the NIH to put more funding back into basic science.

  2. Kawfee Mugz October 2nd, 2006 at 1:32 pm

    awesome!

  3. Rikurzhen October 2nd, 2006 at 3:15 pm

    Phil Sharp agrees: 
     
    http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/10/02/nobel-prize-medicine-biz-health-cz_mh_1002nobel.html 
     
    Phillip Sharp, a professor at M.I.T., says the short time between the discovery and the awarding of the Nobel Prize is a recognition of the importance of the RNAi research, which he says ?stimulated an enormous amount of work? that could lead to human therapies. 
     
    ?Andy and Craig did this research with modest support as independent investigators,” Sharp says. “This is the type of research that NIH has continued to under emphasize over the past few years. Perhaps we can celebrate its importance through this Nobel.?

  4. Rick Strange October 2nd, 2006 at 5:50 pm

    The discovery of RNAi has been truly revolutionary as it allows researchers to find the function of a gene by turning it off and observing the difference. Props to Fire and Mello for their work. 
     
    I predict that an increasing percentage of the Nobels for medicine will be in the field of genetics.

  5. Bellican October 3rd, 2006 at 2:40 pm

    I thought it was Petunia growers in the Southwestern desert somewhere that actually discovered the effect.

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