Sidney Altman

Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University

September 21, 2010 — 4:10 PM
International House Auditorium — 2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley

Add to Google Calendar 09/21/2010 4:10 PM 09/21/2010 6:00 PM America/Los_Angeles Ribonuclease P: A Small Step in the RNA World

About The Lecture A detailed description of RNase P and its evolution in procaryotes and eucaryotes and a summary of data regarding the utility of this enzyme and associated technology that could be used as a clinical therapy. This is … Continued

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About The Lecture

A detailed description of RNase P and its evolution in procaryotes and eucaryotes and a summary of data regarding the utility of this enzyme and associated technology that could be used as a clinical therapy.

This is the second of two lectures presented by Sidney Altman. The first lecture, Entering the RNA World, takes place on Monday, September 20, 2010.

About Sidney Altman

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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