Lecture 07: Discovery and Significance of Codon

1. Discovery

Nobel Prize Winner  Marshall W. Nirenberg.  He was awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in  For his great contribution to genetic code.

The World-famous Genetic Coden MW Nirenberg; during: DeWitt Stetten Jr’s Laboratory US.NIH in Maryland

Bethesda, Maryland

Two Young Men  In 1959, M Nirenberg, a postdoctoral fellow at “National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases” of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Maryland, began his investigations into the relationship between DNA, RNA and the production of proteins.  With Heinrich J. Matthaei, a young post doctoral researcher from Bonn, Germany, he initiated a series of experiments using synthetic RNA.  These two researchers were able to show how RNA transmits the messages that are encoded in DNA and direct how amino acids combine to make proteins.

Unintentional Positive Outcomes  These experiments became the foundation of Nirenberg's ground breaking work on the genetic code, which he first made public at the International Congress of Biochemistry in Moscow in August 1961.

Follow up the Victory  By early 1962, the significance of these early experiments was recognized throughout the world, after the popular media highlighted the importance of their work as a major scientific breakthrough.

His Nobel Lecture

2. Winner’s life

He was a New Yorker  Marshall Warren Nirenberg was born April 10, 1927, in New York City, to Harry Nirenberg and Minerva Bykowsky Nirenberg.  In 1941, Marshall developed rheumatic fever, and the Nirenberg family moved to Orlando, Florida, to take advantage of the subtropical climate.

Natural Paradise  During his teens, Nirenberg developed a scientific and aesthetic appreciation for the natural world. Reminiscing for his childhood, he remarked in 1992 that "Florida was a natural paradise in those days. And I was the kind of kid who was happy exploring swamps and caves, and collecting spiders." In the Documents section, viewers can see a sketch of spiders that he made when he was 17 years old.

The Bachelor & Master Degrees  In 1945, Nirenberg graduated from high school and enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He earned his B.S. degree in zoology and chemistry in  In 1950, he resumed his studies at Florida and took a M.S. degree in zoology in 1952, writing a master‘s thesis on caddis fly.

His Doctorate Program  Later in 1952, Nirenberg moved to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan.  In 1957, Nirenberg earned a Ph.D. in biological chemistry by writing a dissertation on the uptake of hexose ( 己糖 ), a type of sugar, by tumor cells.  This work served as the basis of his first published article and shaped the direction of his initial studies after graduate school.

Postdoctoral Work  In 1957, the American Cancer Society awarded Nirenberg a two-year postdoctoral fellowship to DeWitt Stetten, Jr.'s laboratory at the “National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases (NIAMDD)”, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland.  In 1959, Nirenberg was chosen as a postdoctoral fellow of the Public Health Service's Section on Metabolic Enzymes at NIAMDD.  The following year, Nirenberg joined the staff as a research biochemist.

World Reached out Hands to Him  In 1962, less than one year after he had first announced his successful experiment with synthetic RNA, he received the Molecular Biology Award from the National Academy of Sciences.  During this same period, Nirenberg was offered professorships at a number of major universities across the United States.  Nirenberg, however, declined all offers and chose to stay at the National Institutes of Health.  In 1962, he was appointed Chief of the Section on Biochemical Genetics at the NIH's National Heart Institute (NHI).

The Supremacy Honor of Science  After Matthaei's departure from the NIH in 1962, Nirenberg continued his work on the genetic code with a team of postdoctoral fellows and research technicians.  By 1966, Nirenberg had deciphered all the RNA "codons"--the term used to describe the "code words" of messenger RNA--for all twenty major amino acids.  Two years later, in 1968, Nirenberg received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis."  He shared the award with Robert W. Holley of Cornell University and Har Gobind Khorana of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

R. Holley H.G. Khorana M. Nirenberg H. Gobind Khorana(46y)How to synthesize triplet RNA Marshall Nirenberg(41y)Genetic coden Robert Holley(46y) tRNA phe cloverleaf structure

Like-minded partner  Marries Perola Zaltzman (2001) in July

Brief Chronology  Born Marshall Warren Nirenberg in New York, New York (April 10)  Nirenberg family moves to Orlando, Florida  Receives B.S. (Zoology and Chemistry), University of Florida at Gainesville  Receives M.S. (Zoology), University of Florida  Receives Ph.D. (Biological Chemistry), University of Michigan at Ann Arbor  American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolic, and Digestive Diseases [NIAMDD, later NIDDK], National Institutes of Health [NIH]  Public Health Service Postdoctoral Fellow, NIAMDD  Research Biochemist, NIAMDD; begins poly-U experiments with Heinrich J. Matthaei  Marries Perola Zaltzman (d. 2001) in July  Describes the poly-U experiment at International Congress of Biochemistry in Moscow in August  Molecular Biology Award, National Academy of Sciences  Chief, Section on Biochemical Genetics, National Heart Institute [NHI], NIH  Completes sequencing of RNA "code words" for twenty amino acids  Turns attention and laboratory over to field of neurobiology  Senior Research Biochemist and Chief, Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics, NHI  Awarded National Medal of Science by President Lyndon B. Johnson  Begins studying the neuroblastoma system  Shares Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for deciphering the genetic code with Robert W. Holley and Har Gobind Khorana  Awarded National Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson  Publishes first article on neurobiology in collaboration with Philip Nelson  Begins studying the effects of morphine on the nervous system in collaboration with Werner Klee  Begins work on neural cell receptors using chick retina  Begins study of Homeobox genes in Drosophila fruit fly  Elected to American Philosophical Society

3. The function of Condon

Section P Genetic code and tRNA P1 The genetic code P2 tRNA structure and function

P1 The genetic code  Nature  Deciphering  Feature  Effect of Mutation  Universality  ORFs  Overlapping Genes

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