Molecular Awards

  This is precisely the nature of our new understanding of biology , which has occurred over the past twenty years and is now sufficiently advanced to offer a new paradigm. DNA—> RNA—> Protein—> Phenotype The dogma was enshrined in Jim Watson’s 1965 epic textbook  The   Molecular Biology of the Gene. The theory holds that Gregor Mendel's concept of a gene (a discrete heritable trait or phenotype) is the consequence of a change in the text of DNA that alters the function of a protein and, therefore, the phenotype. Sickle cell anemia is a prime example. A single-letter change in the DNA that encodes the hemoglobin protein changes the structure of the protein so that it aggregates to create sickle-shaped red blood cells, leading to the blood clots that define the disease. While true, we now view this paradigm as a special case of a broader reality.  A New Paradigm We are now in the midst of a very exciting revolution defining what role this new view of DNA and...

  We’re held together by collagen. Structured like a twisted rope, the fibrous macromolecule accounts for 15% to 20% of the protein in our bodies, and it plays an essential role in mechanically supporting our cells and tissues. But surprisingly, collagen is inherently unstable at body temperature. Now, results recently detailed at the American Physics Society’s (APS’s) Global Summit finally reveal how collagen holds its form: clusters of molecular “staples” formed by sulfur-bearing amino acids. Identifying this key reason collagen holds together marks an “important step toward understanding the biological puzzle ” of the protein, says Jing Xu, a biophysicist at the University of California, Merced who wasn’t involved with the study. The finding may also offer new tools for bioengineering and regenerative medicine. Collagen is a threadlike protein made up of three intertwined chains of amino acids , twisted together into a triple-helix structure. Fibers made of these helices th...