Two scientists win Nobel Prize in medicine for discovery of “microRNAs”

Two scientists have won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering a class of tiny molecules called microRNAs that play a crucial role in turning genes on and off.

Victor AmbrosProfessor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Gary Ruvkuna molecular biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, will share the prize of 11 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to $1.06 million.

MicroRNAs fall under a broader umbrella of molecules called “microRNAs.” RNAswhich are similar to DNA but contain only one “strand” of genetic material rather than two twisted together. Ambros and Ruvkun first discovered microRNA and its possible role in gene regulation in 1993 while studying the development of the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegansa creature often studied by biologists.

Since then, the two collaborators and other scientists have shown that microRNAs are a Key feature of the genome from all multicellular organismsincluding people.

Related: Scientists have just discovered a new way cells control their genes – called “backtracking”.

Thanks to their discovery, “researchers will have a much better understanding of how cells work,” Ole fightersthe vice chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, said at a Press conference Monday (October 7th).

There are currently no medical applications for this work, but there may be in the future, Kämpe said.

For example, microRNAs can sometimes contribute to the development of cancer Regulating gene activity in a way that promotes the growth and spread of tumors. Some diseases arise from mutations in genes that code for microRNAs, such as: congenital hearing loss and some Eye And Skeletal diseases. Additionally, dysregulated microRNA activity It was found that there is a connection with the development of epilepsy.

“We don’t yet have a way to treat these disorders in which microRNA networks are disrupted, but we hope that one day we will,” Kämpe said.

Every cell in our body contains approximately the same 20,000 genes encode the instructions for building proteinsthe basic building blocks of life. However, different cell types, such as muscle or nerve cells, have special properties and functions and therefore require different supplies. Different sets of genes are therefore required to build the necessary proteins activated in every cell type. This occurs both during embryonic development and throughout an individual's life, as cells receive cues from inside the body and the environment.

When a gene is “activated” – meaning the cell uses its code – it will DNA Within this gene, it is first converted into small molecules called messenger RNAs or mRNAs transcription. These molecules are later transported to protein construction sites in the cell, where they serve as templates for the production of proteins.

For a long time, scientists assumed that gene activity was mainly regulated by special proteins called transcription factors that attach to DNA. These proteins had been discovered in the 1960s. The discovery of microRNAs by Ambros and Ruvkun decades later turned this long-held assumption on its head.

In one series of Laboratory experiments In C. elegansthe duo identified a microRNA they named Lin-4. This molecule can bind to mRNA and thus prevent the production of the corresponding protein. In 2000The scientists discovered another type of microRNA, called let-7, which appears to be found throughout the animal kingdom.

Two decades later, scientists have now discovered a wide range of microRNAs including more than a thousand in the human body. These molecules are now considered essential control elements for cell development and function.

“I am pleased to hear that Dr. Ambros and Dr. Ruvkun were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.” Janosch Helleran assistant professor of biomedical sciences at Dublin City University, said in a statement from the UK Science Media Centre. “Their groundbreaking work on gene regulation by microRNAs paved the way for groundbreaking research into novel therapies for devastating diseases like epilepsy, but also opened our eyes to the wonderful machinery that tightly controls what happens inside our cells.”

I ever wondered why Some people build muscle more easily than others or Why freckles appear in the sun? Send us your questions about how the human body works [email protected] with the subject line “Health Desk Q” and your question may be answered on the site!

Two scientists win Nobel Prize in medicine for discovery of “microRNAs”

ByVanessa

By Vanessa

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