1. Premio Nobel de Química 2008
The Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences has decided to award the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2008 jointly to
Osamu Shimomura, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, MA, USA and Boston
University Medical School, MA, USA,
Martin Chalfie, Columbia
University, New York, NY, USA
and
Roger Y. Tsien, University of
California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
"for the
discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP".
Glowing proteins – a guiding star for
biochemistry
The remarkable brightly glowing green fluorescent protein,
GFP, was first observed in the beautiful jellyfish, Aequorea victoria in 1962. Since then, this
protein has become one of the most important tools used in contemporary
bioscience. With the aid of GFP, researchers have developed ways to watch
processes that were previously invisible, such as the development of
nerve cells in the brain or how cancer cells spread.
Tens of thousands of different proteins reside in a living organism,
controlling important chemical processes in minute detail. If this
protein machinery malfunctions, illness and disease often follow. That is
why it has been imperative for bioscience to map the role of different
proteins in the body.
This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry rewards the initial discovery of GFP
and a series of important developments which have led to its use as a
tagging tool in bioscience. By using DNA technology, researchers can now
connect GFP to other interesting, but otherwise invisible, proteins. This
glowing marker allows them to watch the movements, positions and
interactions of the tagged proteins.
Researchers can also follow the fate of various cells with the help of
GFP: nerve cell damage during Alzheimer's disease or how
insulin-producing beta cells are created in the pancreas of a growing
embryo. In one spectacular experiment, researchers succeeded in tagging
different nerve cells in the brain of a mouse with a kaleidoscope of
colours.
The story behind the discovery of GFP is one with the three Nobel Prize
Laureates in the leading roles:
Osamu Shimomura first
isolated GFP from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria, which drifts with the currents
off the west coast of North America. He discovered that this protein
glowed bright green under ultraviolet light.
Martin Chalfie demonstrated
the value of GFP as a luminous genetic tag for various biological
phenomena. In one of his first experiments, he coloured six individual
cells in the transparent roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans with the aid of GFP.
Roger Y. Tsien contributed
to our general understanding of how GFP fluoresces. He also extended the
colour palette beyond green allowing researchers to give various proteins
and cells different colours. This enables scientists to follow several
different biological processes at the same time.
Fonte:
Assessoria de Imprensa da Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
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Estão abertas as
inscrições para o Curso da AUREMN: “RMN DE BAIXO CAMPO: FUNDAMENTOS E
APLICAÇÕES”, que será realizado no período de 29 a 31 de outubro de 2008,
na EMBRAPA/CNPDIA – Rua 15 Novembro 1452, São Carlos, SP. O curso será
dividido em 03 partes, conforme descrito abaixo:
PARTE I – Carga Horária: 16 Horas; Professor: Luiz Alberto Colnago
(EMBRAPA/CNPDIA)
PARTE II – Carga Horária: 04 Horas; Professor: Rodrigo Bagueira de V.
Azeredo (UFF)
PARTE III – Carga Horária: 04 Horas; Professora: Maria Inês Bruno Tavares
(IMA/UFRJ)
As vagas são limitadas e por ordem cronológica de chegada das inscrições.
A data limite para inscrições é até 20/10/2008.
INFORMAÇÕES/INSCRIÇÕES: www.auremn.org.br
Fonte: Sonia Maria Cabral de Menezes (AUREMN)
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O evento deste ano
da SBQ-Sul (XVI Encontro de Química da Região Sul) organizado por
professores do Departamento de Química da Universidade Regional de
Blumenau- FURB, superou a expectativa no número de inscrição,
totalizando 1700 inscritos e 987 trabalhos. Sendo assim por
questões de infra-estrutura do local do evento, para comportar um público
superior a este número, a comissão organizadora precisou encerrar as
inscrições, antes do prazo limite estabelecido até 31/10. Desta forma
esperamos contar com a compreensão da comunidade e pedimos desculpas por
não podermos atender a todos. Contanto em 2020 estaremos novamente de
braços abertos para receber com muito carinho a comunidade científica do
nosso Brasil.
Fonte: Ivonete O. Barcellos (Coordenação da SBQ-Sul)
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