Eukaryotic transcription: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:RNA | [[Image:Label RNA pol II.png|thumb|right|300px|Eukaryotic RNA polymerase II in a complex with DNA and mRNA <ref name="Gnatt2001">[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=11313499 Structural basis of transcription: an RNA polymerase II elongation complex at 3.3 A resolution] by Averell L. Gnatt, Patrick Cramer, Jianhua Fu, David A. Bushnell and Roger D. Kornberg in [[w:Science (journal)|Science]] (2001) Volume 292, pages 1876-1882.</ref>.]] | ||
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2006 was awarded to [[w:Roger D. Kornberg|Roger D. Kornberg]] for his work on the molecular basis of '''eukaryotic transcription''' <ref name=Nobel2006">2006 award at the [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2006/index.html Nobel Prize website].</ref>. | The Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2006 was awarded to [[w:Roger D. Kornberg|Roger D. Kornberg]] for his work on the molecular basis of '''eukaryotic transcription''' <ref name=Nobel2006">2006 award at the [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2006/index.html Nobel Prize website].</ref>. | ||
Revision as of 22:07, 4 October 2006
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2006 was awarded to Roger D. Kornberg for his work on the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription [2].
Transcription
Eukaryotic organisms such as humans store their genetic information in the structure of DNA molecules. Most of the genetic instructions are used to specify the structure of a protein (Figure 2). The many proteins of cells function as molecular machines that produce the living state. Intermediate between DNA and protein is RNA. The process by which cells convert the structure of a gene into the structure of a mRNA molecule is called transcription. In eukaryotes, a large molecular complex of specialized proteins is required to achieve the careful control of which subset of genes is transcribed in each type of cell. At the core of this complex is the enzyme RNA polymerase II.
Roger Kornberg's laboratory has used biochemical techniques to isolate the large complex of proteins that allow RNA polymerase II to produce messenger RNA. Working with yeast cells as an experimental system, Kornberg's research team has isolated and purified the functioning RNA pol II protein complex with attached template DNA, product mRNA and substrate nucleotides and captured images of the complex using electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography [3] (see Figure 1)
general transcription factors
References
- ↑ Structural basis of transcription: an RNA polymerase II elongation complex at 3.3 A resolution by Averell L. Gnatt, Patrick Cramer, Jianhua Fu, David A. Bushnell and Roger D. Kornberg in Science (2001) Volume 292, pages 1876-1882.
- ↑ 2006 award at the Nobel Prize website.
- ↑ Advanced information on the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2006: Molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription by Lars Thelander.
See also
- This lesson on RNA interference is part of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry learning project.
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine learning project.
External links
- RNA polymerase II article at Wikipedia.