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2007-9-20
The Nobel Prize in Physiology 1999 was awarded to G¨šnter Blobel for his great achievement-the discovery of intrinsic signals in protein determining protein transfer and localization in the cell.
As the Cell Biologist, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Science, Professor of Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA, and Researcher of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, G¨šnter Blobel engaged in the study the transport process of new synthetic protein via the cell membrane structure of the cell organ. In 1983, Dr. Blobel was elected the member of National Academy of Sciences. He now is the member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, European Molecular Biology Organization, and the American Philosophical Association as well as the honorary member of German Society for Cell Biology, and the member of Biochemistry Association of Japan. Then in 1990 he became the chairman of the American Society for Cell Biology.
At the late 60s, he joined the Cell Biology Lab headed by George Palade in Rockefeller Institute of New York. In the last 20 years, scientists had conducted profound studies of the cell structure and transfer of the new synthetic protein. In 1974, George Palade won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (two other winners were Albert Claude and Christian de Duve from Belgium). Gunter Blobel's study was based on Palade experiment and focused on what mechanisms of the new synthetic protein transported out of the cell interacting with specific endoplasmic reticulum of the cell biological membrane. In 1971 he proposed the original "signal hypothesis", assuming protein secreted out of the cell containing an intrinsic signals to guide them penetrating precisely the biological membrane. After rigorous biochemical experiments, in 1975 Blobel elaborated the main procedures of protein transmembrane. These signals included a peculiar polypeptide which was a section of amino acid sequence integrated with albumen. He presumed it was via a passage in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane that protein could complete the transfer out of the cell. In the subsequent 20 years, Blobel and his colleagues proved this signal hypothesis to be correct and extensively exist in the biological universe, identical to the functioning mechanism of the yeast, plant, and animal cells. Through cooperation with other research groups, G¨šnter Blobel discovered protein had similar intrinsic signals when passing other cell organs. Based on this, in 1980 G¨šnter Blobel proposed the universal mechanism of protein transmembrane localization. Each kind of protein could carry the signal peptide for cell itself localization. This section of peculiar amino acid sequence determined whether a protein penetrated the certain cell organ membrane, or integrated with the cell membrane or was secreted out of the cell.
G¨šnter Blobel's study is of significant importance to contemporary cell biology. When the cell division occurs, a number of proteins are synthesized and new cell organs are formed. If the protein functions properly, it can be precisely orientated. Blobel's theory helps us to comprehend the molecular mechanism of transfer and localization, e.g. the generation and secretion of the immune system antibody.
Meanwhile, Blobel's study also interprets the attack mechanisms of some hereditary disease. If the protein signal sequence varies suddenly, the protein localization in the cell will change accordingly. For example, top grass uric acid is a hereditary disease which can result in nephrolith at the early age. Another example is the family hypertensive cholesterin symptom caused by transport defects of the signal. Other hereditary diseases, such as cystoid fibrosis, are induced by improper localization of the protein.
The Human Genome Project will be completed in the near future. Then we can speculate the albumen structure and signal transfer, which has paved the way for interpretation of disease attack process and proposal of new therapies. Now some proteid drugs, such as insulin, growth hormone, erythropoietin and interferon, have been developed. Bacteria as the general carrier of proteid drugs have been replaced by yeast, a more superior cell to synthesize a specific active manmade protein. With development of the molecular biological gene technique, fabrication of the gene sequence containing the code transfer signal peptide has become a possibility, and it also provides technical proof for mass production of the proteins transfected by the carriers that contain modifiers.
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