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Home , Aequorea victoria, Martin Chalfie, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Osamu Shimomura

How Glowing Earned a Nobel Nod MED’s Shimomura wins in

It took more than thirty years for to realize that his research on jellyfish would revolutionize , and another fourteen for the Nobel Prize committee to recognize that same thing. After learning that his discovery of luminescent proteins in jellyfish had won this year’s , he told reporters what he had learned from the experience. “If you find an interesting subject, go study it,” he says. “Don’t stop. There is difficulty in any research — don’t give up until you overcome that.” Shimomura, a School of adjunct professor of and a senior scientist emeritus at Osamu Shimomura (inset) was the Marine Biological Laboratory recognized for his discovery of in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, was luminescent proteins in jellyfish. one of three winners of this year’s

chemistry prize. The other winners L a b oratory of the Marine Biological p hs courtesy Photogra were of and Roger Y. Tsien of the University of California, San Diego, early days, he would purify the protein development of nerve cells in the brain both recognized for pioneering cellular directly from the jellyfish, getting small or how cancer cells spread.” research techniques that use the amounts of protein from bucketfuls.” “These discoveries were seminal proteins Shimomura identified. The But although Shimomura pursued and decades ahead of their time,” three are sharing the $1.4 million prize, his studies of GFP for years, he says says Gary Borisy, director and chief which is awarded by the Royal Swedish that he didn’t realize the potential executive officer of the Marine Academy of . applications of his work until 1994, Biological Laboratory. “They really Shimomura is credited with when Chalfie’s research emerged. In an have ushered in a revolution in cell discovering green fluorescent organism, GFP can be fused to proteins biology.” protein, or GFP, which he of interest to scientists, Since then, newer techniques have observed in 1962 in the with minor effects on emerged, such as Tsien’s research jellyfish victoria, the organism’s behavior. into GFP mutations that create found off the west coast Researchers can then in various colors, which of North America. James observe the locations and allow researchers to track different Head, a MED professor of movements of the studied cellular processes in one organism. physiology and biophysics, proteins by monitoring Shimomura, who earned a Ph.D. recalls Shimomura’s stories the GFP, which remains in at Nagoya of collecting the jellyfish in fluorescent. University in 1960 and began studying Washington state. The Royal Swedish there before coming “He and his wife used to spend Academy of Sciences, in announcing to America and joining a research team summers at Friday Harbor and catch the prize, called the protein “one at , says he never bucket after bucket of jellyfish,” of the most important tools used in expected his work to change the world says Head, who collaborated with contemporary bioscience. With the aid of cell biology. Shimomura on research into the of GFP, researchers have developed “My subject was just discovery of a behaviors and uses of , ways to watch processes that were product,” he says. “I’m surprised. And another fluorescent protein. “In those previously invisible, such as the I’m happy.” JU

Winter 2008–2009 BOSTONIA 9