Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Roger Tsien discussed current research on fluorescent proteins, or proteins that emit bright colors when exposed to ultraviolet blue light, and their uses in surgery at Emory on Thursday.
The Department of Biochemistry held the lecture, titled Breeding and Building molecules to Spy on Cells and Disease Processes, at the Woodruff Health Sciences building as part of the Department of Biochemistrys annual Donald B. McCormick Lecture. The annual lecture honors McCormick, who served as the chair of the department from 1979 to 1994 and is currently professor emeritus at Emorys School of Medicine.
McCormick is recognized for his many achievements including the publication of more than 500 papers, leading expertise in nutritional biochemistry, and membership in notable committees such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In 2008, Tsien received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) with his colleagues Osamu Shimomura and Martin Chalfie. He is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and professor at the University of California-San Diego.
He focused on proteins called miniSOGs, which are single oxygen-generating miniproteins and genetic tags used in electron microscopy (EM). He said electrons are beamed at an object to produce a highly magnified image. These miniSOGs are sequences of amino acids that can be attached to proteins, Tsien noted. When miniSOGs are exposed to blue light, they produce a type of molecular oxygen that is visible in EM. The use of EM creates an amplified image under the microscope which is of a greater resolution than the image produced by light microscopy.
It is really amazing how many different applications there are for the tag, James Roed, post doctorate fellow at the School of Medicine noted. The design is simple yet so complex and is really going to revolutionize cancer treatment but has potential in being used to tether probes to drugs as well.
Tsien explained the clinical applications of fluorescent dyes in cancer research and treatment. This is a very nonselective process. Tsien explained. When you try to do this with a fluorescent tag IV injection into a mouse, you get a fluorescent tail, because it sticks to the epithelia, which is the skin of the animal, at the site of the injection.
It then travels to different regions of the body but practically never reaches the tumor that you care about, Tsien said.
We decided in our lab that what was necessary was a way of making this process selective, not just indiscriminate, he said.
He then showed images of tumors in mice and explained the difficulty the human eye experiences in differentiating a tumor from the surrounding flesh. When the tissue was exposed via fluorescent illumination, the boundaries of the tumor became easily distinguishable as the fluorescent light blue mass stood out.
See original here:
Nobel Laureate Explores Proteins, Surgery
- Intro to Biochemistry 4130 - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Aging and Rejuvenation: Chemistry and Biochemistry at Work - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- General Biochemistry Review - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Wu Tang - Biochemical Equation (Datsik - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Biochemistry Proves The Existence of God - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- MF DOOM ft RZA Biochemical Equation - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Biochemistry- Clemson Graduate School - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Ch 2 Water (Biochemistry) - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Carbohydrates - Biochemistry - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- Introduction to Biochemistry Lecture 1 of 4 - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- Nerdcore Biochemistry Hip Hop - September 17th, 2011 [September 17th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #16: Carbohydrates I (Structure and Function) - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Biochemistry the Movie Part 2 - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Ch 17 Beta Oxidation part 1 (Biochemistry) - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Introduction to Biochemistry Lecture 2 of 4 - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #3: Protein Structure I - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #19: Cellular Signaling II - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Ch 21 Fatty Acid Synthesis part 1(Biochemistry) - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Ch 5 Hemoglobin part 1 (Biochemistry) - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Seminar Profiles - BSc Sport - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Get to Grips with Biochemistry (Glycolysis - Part 1) - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Cytochrome P450: Radicals in a Biochemical Setting - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Career Overview - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY OF ANIMAL FOODS 101 (Cholesterol, Saturated Fat, Etc) #319 - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Ch 3 Amino Acids part 1 (Biochemistry) - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Biochemistry the Movie Part 1 - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Smith: General, Organic, - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #53 - Immune System - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Six Degrees: from Kevin Bacon to Biochemistry - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Introduction to Biochemistry - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- DUBSurce - Biochemical eagles [FREE DOWNLOAD] - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Ch 15 Glycolysis Regulation part 4 (Biochemistry) - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Human Biochemistry - Allosteric Enzymes - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Water, Acids, and Buffers in Biochemistry, Part 1 of 8 - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- The Work of a Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory (Part 1 of 2) - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- Krebs Cycle Song: Musical Biochemistry! - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- Ch 3 Amino Acids part 2 (Biochemistry) - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- Alcohol Fermentation and the Dawn of Biochemistry - September 26th, 2011 [September 26th, 2011]
- Ch 4 Protein Structure part 1 (Biochemistry) - September 26th, 2011 [September 26th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #45 - Transcription I (RNA Synthesis) - September 27th, 2011 [September 27th, 2011]
- Kaplan's USMLE Step 1 Program Preview: Biochemistry - September 27th, 2011 [September 27th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #47 - Transcription III / Translation I - September 28th, 2011 [September 28th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #22 - Glycolysis II / Carbohydrate Metabolism - September 29th, 2011 [September 29th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #39 - Nucleotide Metabolism I - September 30th, 2011 [September 30th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #48 - Translation II (Protein Synthesis) - September 30th, 2011 [September 30th, 2011]
- Biochemical tests of bacteria - September 30th, 2011 [September 30th, 2011]
- Chinese Crossfire - Biochemical Desert [De_Dust2] - October 1st, 2011 [October 1st, 2011]
- Holistic Biochemistry of Cannabinoids by Robert Melamede (part 1 of 5) - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Ch 12 Signaling part 1(Biochemistry) - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #8: Protein Structure and Hemoglobin - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- I Love My Major: Biochemistry - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- A biochemical rheostat controls cell death using protein-protein interaction Bim Mcl1 - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Lecture - 4 Protein structure II - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #1: Basics - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Scope of Biochemistry - Will I get a job ? - October 9th, 2011 [October 9th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #12: Catalytic Mechanisms - October 10th, 2011 [October 10th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #14: Enzyme Mechanism and Regulation - Video - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- Ch 21a Cholesterol Synthesis part 1 (Biochemistry) - Video - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #25 - Glycogen Metabolism - Video - October 15th, 2011 [October 15th, 2011]
- Human Eye: 04: Biochemistry - Video - October 15th, 2011 [October 15th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #2: Buffers (Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation) - Video - October 20th, 2011 [October 20th, 2011]
- Introduction to Biochemistry Lecture 3 of 4 - Video - October 23rd, 2011 [October 23rd, 2011]
- Biochemistry: Chemistry of Carbohydrates and Lipids Part 1 - Video - October 23rd, 2011 [October 23rd, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #51 - Gene Expression III / Sensory Systems I - Video - October 24th, 2011 [October 24th, 2011]
- The Work of a Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory (Part 2 of 2) - Video - October 25th, 2011 [October 25th, 2011]
- Biochemists and Biophysicists - Career Profile - Video - October 26th, 2011 [October 26th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #10: Enzymes - Video - October 27th, 2011 [October 27th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #9: Hemoglobin II and Respiration/Metabolism - Video - October 28th, 2011 [October 28th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #11: Enzymes II - Video - October 30th, 2011 [October 30th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #7: Protein Purification - November 8th, 2011 [November 8th, 2011]
- #05 Biochemistry Protein Tertiary/Quaternary Structure Lecture for BB 450/550 Fall 2011 - Video - November 9th, 2011 [November 9th, 2011]
- #04 Biochemistry Protein Primary/Secondary Structure Lecture for BB 450/550 Fall 2011 - Video - November 11th, 2011 [November 11th, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #32 - Neurotransmission/Electron Transport - Video - November 28th, 2011 [November 28th, 2011]
- #07 Biochemistry Protein Characterization Lecture for BB 450/550 Fall 2011 - Video - December 1st, 2011 [December 1st, 2011]
- #09 Biochemistry Hemoglobin II/Enzymes I Lecture for BB 450/550 Fall 2011 - Video - December 1st, 2011 [December 1st, 2011]
- #08 Biochemistry Hemoglobin Lecture for BB 450/550 Fall 2011 - Video - December 8th, 2011 [December 8th, 2011]
- Glycolysis - Video - December 12th, 2011 [December 12th, 2011]
- #01 Biochemistry Introductory Lecture for BB 450/550 Fall 2011 - Video - December 14th, 2011 [December 14th, 2011]
- #06 Biochemistry Protein Purification Lecture for BB 450/550 Fall 2011 - Video - December 22nd, 2011 [December 22nd, 2011]
- Bite-Sized Biochemistry #21 - Control of Metabolism / Glycolysis I - Video - December 24th, 2011 [December 24th, 2011]