Contribution of Thomas R. Cech to the Field of Chemistry

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Contribution of Thomas R. Cech to the field of Chemistry

Thomas Robert Cech is a well-known chemist who used his knowledge of science to discover several theories in order to enhance the study of molecules and atoms in different matters. In summary, Thomas Cech received his PhD degree in Chemistry from the University of California. He was also a lecturer at the University of Colorado where he lectured on chemistry and biochemistry. Cech’s research and hard labour has brought many awards to him and one of the major awards he received is the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1989. His major contribution about splicing RNA molecules by it-self had the major impact to earn the Nobel Prize award.

Thomas Cech’s most excellent contribution was the theory behind self splicing RNA. First of all, RNA also known as Ribonucleic Acid is a kind if nucleic acid that is generally single stranded. In addition, RNA plays a vital role for transferring information into protein forming system of the cell from the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid). Thomas Cech has done his research in a laboratory. To briefly learn the contribution, Scientist Cech and his researched team first started with the process of how stored genetic information in DNA can be transcribed into a molecule known as mRNA (messenger RNA), which is further changed into a protein. In all kinds of living organisms, this process takes place. However, in plants and humans, the coding region of the DNA which is the exons are episodic by the nonbonding regions of the DNA which is the introns.

During the duplication process of DNA, the gene is completely copied into a pre messenger RNA (pre mRNA) including the exons and introns from the DNA. Thomas Cech’s research helped him to understand how th...

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...t Model. Cell, 148, 922-932 (2012).

4. Nandakumar, J., Bell, C.F., Weidenfeld, I., Zaug, A.J., Leinwand, L.A., Cech, T.R. The TEL patch of telomere protein TPP1 mediates telomerase recruitment and processivity. Nature, 492: 285-289 (2012).

5. Schwartz, J.C., Ebmeier, C.C., Podell, E.R., Heimiller, J., Taatjes, D.J., Cech, T.R. FUS binds the CTD of RNA polymerase II and regulates its phosphorylation at Ser2. Genes Dev. 26: 2690-95 (2012).

Works Cited

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/101017/Thomas-Robert-Cech

http://chem.colorado.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=247&Itemid=185

http://www.hhmi.org/research/telomerase-and-chromosome-ends

http://www.dnalc.org/resources/animations/rna-splicing.html

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/rna-splicing-introns-exons-and-spliceosome-12375

http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Rna

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