Tag Archives: enzymes
Breaking the genetic code – a new revolutionary stage in the development of molecular biology: 1968 Nobel Prize laureates M. W. Nirenberg, H. G. Khorana, R. W. Holley
O. P. Matyshevska*, V. M. Danilova, S. V. Komisarenko
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
*e-mail: matysh@yahoo.com
Received: 28 October 2021; Accepted: 12 November 2021
This review presents the life stories of M. Nirenberg, H. Khorana, and R. Holley, winners of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the history of the discoveries made by these scientists, and the methodological approaches used in their works. Owing to the M. Nirenberg and H. Khorana research, the nucleotide compositions of all mRNA triplet codons were decoded. H. Khorana was the first scientist to experimentally prove the direct link between the nucleotide sequence of DNA and the amino acid sequence of the synthesized protein and to obtain a synthetic gene. R. Holley was the first to completely decode the sequence of transport RNA, determine its secondary structure and role in protein synthesis on the ribosome. The Nobel Prize awarded to the scientists was a recognition of their contribution in understanding the mechanisms of coding and reading genetic information and marked a breakthrough moment in the development of molecular biology.
The discovery of the mechanisms of biological synthesis of nucleic acids: 1959 Nobel laureates S. Ochoa and A. Kornberg
O. P. Matyshevska, V. M. Danilova, S. V. Komisarenko
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
e-mail: matysh@yahoo.com
Received: 12 September 2020; Accepted: 17 December 2020
Alongside the chemical and physical research of nucleic acids in the 1940s-50s, the mechanisms of their biosynthesis were investigated. Thus, in 1959, Severo Ochoa and Arthur Kornberg were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the mechanisms of biological synthesis of RNA and DNA. The experiments performed by Ochoa and Kornberg are considered today the cornerstone of genetic engineering, as they first demonstrated the possibility of synthesizing RNA and DNA outside the living cell, and also as the enzymes they discovered were among the first tools of this technology.
The contribution of the Nobel Prize laureates to the development of dynamic biochemistry and bioenergetics. E. Buchner, A. Kossel, R. Willstätter, O. Meyerhof, A. Hill, O. Warburg, A. Szent-Györgyi
V. M. Danilova, R. P. Vynogradova, S. V. Komisarenko
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiyv;
e-mail: valdan@biochem.kiev.ua
Received: 29 November 2018; Accepted: 13 December 2018
Thanks to the great discoveries of the Nobel laureates of the first half of the 20th century – E. Buchner, A. Kossel, R. Willstätter, O. Meyerhof, A. Hill, O. Warburg, A. Szent-Györgyi, we have gained a deep understanding of the mechanisms of organic substances conversion and oxidation in living organisms. This article gives an analysis of the research activity of these distinguished scientists, who, through decoding the main ways of converting carbohydrates and energy in living organisms, laid the foundations of dynamic biochemistry and bioenergetics (one of the branches of biochemical science).
Scientific investigations of the Nobel prize winner Emil Fischer as a launching pad for the development of biochemistry: a brief overview
T. V. Danylova1, S. V. Komisarenko2
1National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
e-mail: danilova_tv@ukr.net;
2Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
e-mail: svk@biochem.kiev.ua
Modern biochemistry and molecular biology would be impossible without discoveries in related fields of science. This paper aims to outline briefly the main stages of scientific activity of a Nobel Prize winner 1902 – German chemist Hermann Emil Fischer, one of the leading chemists of all times. Emil Fischer was a brilliant multifaceted scientist who left his mark in organic chemistry, physiology, medicine, gave impetus to the development of biochemistry. His insights into the structures of sugars, enzymes, proteins, and purines have become a launching pad for the further development of biochemistry and molecular biology. His contribution to the natural sciences was immense; some chemical reactions and concepts were named after him. This prominent scientist was honored with a number of awards.