Dr. Roger D. Kornberg
2006 Winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Biography
- Born April 24, 1947 in St. Louis, MO
- 68 years old
- Earned Bachelor's degree at Harvard University and Ph.D. Stanford University
- Taught Structural Chemistry at Stanford University when he received the prize
- Studies Biochemistry and Structural Chemistry
Nifty Facts About Dr. Kornberg
- His mom, Sylvy Kornberg, was a biochemist too
- His father, Arthur Kornberg, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine
- His father's discoveries lead to his discoveries
- Dr. Kornberg has two brothers; one is a biochemist and the other is an architect
- Dr. Kornberg is Jewish
Dr. Kornberg in action
Dr. Kornberg on the phone
Dr. Kornberg with his eyes closed
Why Did He Win?
- Dr. Kornberg won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research in Eukaryotic Transcription
Discovered a protein complex, named the Mediator, that is required for DNA to replicate in eukaryotes
- He figured out that there are certain proteins that are attached to RNA that make the process of transcription possible
- He also figured out that this protein he discovered was consistently in all eukaryotes
- Because of the Mediator, DNA replication in eukaryotes is different than in prokaryotes.
- The Mediator is purple in the below picture
Some Terms to Help Understand What the Heck This Means
- Prokaryote: cell without a nucleus (ex. some bacteria cells)
- Eukaryote: cell with a nucleus (ex. cells in humans, mammals, and plants)
- Transcription: the process where RNA breaks apart and copies DNA so that the cells can multiply; we need transcription so the body can make more of the right type of cells
- RNA: similar to DNA, goes into the nucleus and helps copy DNA so that cell can multiply
- DNA: like a blueprint of the cell; exists in the nucleus
- Protein Complex: a group of connected proteins; in this case, the proteins help the process of transcription happen
Lab Work and Experiments
- Dr. Kornberg did research at Cambridge and Stanford
- He explored the structure of DNA/RNA by making 2D protein crystals and studying them using electron microscopes (a process called x-ray crystallography)
- He tried first to study rat liver neuclei to see transcription but the rat liver was too complicated to observe the process
- He ended up using yeast because it's unicellular (made of one cell), so it was simpler to observe
Yeast
This is what Dr. Kornberg observed the process of transcription in
2D Protein Crystals
This is what Dr. Kornberg would have seen in the nucleus
Rat Liver Cell
This is what Dr. Kornberg originally tried to observe
What Was Significant About This Contribution to Science?
- This discovery took 20 years of biochemical research
- Before his discovery, the general preconception was that Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes have the same process of transcription. Dr. Kornberg discovered this was false
- He helped discovery the mystery of RNA transcription in cells with nuclei
- Today, scientists use the information Dr. Kornberg researched as a foundation to make new discoveries
- With Dr. Kornberg's discovery, scientists can move forward in research of the process of transcription in the future to help with research on diseases, genetics, and general body functions