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Ribonuclease P: A Small Step in the RNA World
Foerster Lectures on the Immortality of the Soul
Charles M. and Martha Hitchcock Lectures
Howison Lectures in Philosophy
Jefferson Memorial Lectures
Bernard Moses Memorial Lecture
Carl O. Sauer Memorial Lecture
Barbara Weinstock Lectures on the Morals of Trade
September 20, 2010
— 4:10 PM
International House Auditorium, 2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley
A general description of the problem of the origin of life on Earth with some detail about what we know now and our knowledge of RNase P, an enzyme with a catalytic RNA subunit.
This is the first of two lectures presented by Sidney Altman. The second lecture, Ribonuclease P: A Small Step in the RNA World, takes place on Tuesday, September 21, 2010.
Professor Sidney Altman is internationally renowned for his important contributions to the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology. He and Thomas Cech shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their independent studies demonstrating the catalytic ability of RNA. Altman discovered RNase P and the enzymatic properties of the RNA subunit of that enzyme. He found that RNA, which was previously believed to be simply a passive carrier of genetic codes between different parts of the cell, could also initiate and catalyze reactions. This discovery refuted the formerly unquestioned principle that molecules could either carry information (like RNA), or catalyze chemical reactions (like proteins), but they could not do both. Altman’s breakthrough opened up many new fields of research and biotechnology, especially focused on RNA structure and function.
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Produced by: Harry KreislerFlash Player Required
Produced by: Harry Kreisler