Nobelprijs Scheikunde 2006 voor moleculaire ontrafeling van de DNA-transcriptie

- This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Roger D.Kornberg for his ground-breaking research into the structural basis of transcription. Transcription is the process by which the enzyme RNA polymerase II copies specific genetic information to messenger-RNA. This messenger-RNA is used in the translation of genetic information into the proteins it codes for. Kornberg described tens of proteins relevant to the transcription process. He developed and optimalized methods that finally led to the complete clarification of the atomic structure of RNA polymerase. Kornberg’s work has provided more insight into the various stages of the transcription process and possible disruptions that lead to illness.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2006;150:2854-6