Nobel Prize based Teaching-Learning

[MC Arunan]

Dear all,

 

Here is a very short intro on this year's Nobel winning work in Physiology& Medicine by Sasha, MSc Biochem student of Mumbai University. Please chip in if  you wanted to add to this.

 

Pl. look out for the Sophia-Nobel Oration dates.

 

MC Arunan

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: k.sashaanil <sash...@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 12:22 AM

To: MC Arunan <mcar...@gmail.com>

Dear Dr. Arunan Sir,

                      This years Nobel Prize in Physiology and medecine was awarded to Carol W. Greider, Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak  "for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase".

 

I think this discovery is important as it helps us understand aging of cells and how cancerous growth in some cells are propogated.

 

Telomerase and Telomeres:

It is a reverse transcriptase enzyme which causes elongation of the telomere region [thought to be junk DNA] of the eukaryotic chromosome.Telomeres protects the coding gene present between the ends of the eukaryotic chromosomewhere they[telomeres] are present.

Implcations:

This knowledge helps understand aging of cells because of reduction in the activity of telomerase as we age i.e. as cells repeatedly multiply. This knowledge can thus be used to increase the longevity of cells and life. Many cancerous cells also have telomerase  with increased activity so it is an important factor in understanding and finding a cure for cancer.

 

 

With regards,
 Sasha.