Old News of the Academians
Dr. Soo- Chen Cheng
(Shi- Zhong Yuan/ Taipei report)
Dr. Soo- Chen Cheng from the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, presents a significant scientific discovery today- The heredity of human DNA must function with conjugated protein. As long as we could control this kind of conjugated protein, the DNA heredity could also be controlled, hence the genetic disorder will be eradicated.
A simple metaphor is described by Dr. Cheng: It’s like a piece of cloth, it must be trimmed and sewed appropriately to make clothes. In the DNA heredity process, some portions of the genes will be trimmed before joining with other genes, thus the properties of heredity appear. If the genes that carry genetic disorder, such as thalassemia and hereditary nephritiscan, can first be found and trimmed in process, this can prevent the further heredity to the next generation.
The trimming and joining of the genes require a specific kind of conjugated protein, leading the whole pre- mRNA splicing reaction. This is what Dr. Soo- Chen Cheng and Dr. Shi- Peng Chan have been working on for a decade. Eventually, with all the efforts and devotion, the specific protein has been found.
(24 September, 2003. United Daily News)
(Jin- Sho Lin/Taipei report)
Every time that an accident happens might have a chance to achieve a new goal of scientific research. Dr. Soo- Chen Cheng from the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, has become the first discover of the reversible property within the pre-mRNA splicing reaction.
Dr. Cheng indicates that the research of the pre-mRNA splicing reaction has been developed for 30 years. The research priors Richard Robert and Philip Sharp even won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993. However, not until recently, people only know about the existence of pre- mRNA splicing forward reaction, but not the reverse one.
For example, we take A and B as the reactants for the pre-mRNA splicing reaction, usually we should get the products C and D. Then we can get product E when reacting C with D. However, when Dr. Cheng was doing the experiment, the result was surprising as there were fewer amounts of reactants C and D than usual. Instead, some reactants A and B were found.
With this unexpected result, Dr. Cheng assumed that there might be a reverse reaction happening. Therefore she redesigned the experiment by using Immunoprecipitation, and discovered that pre- mRNA splicing reaction is reversible when changing the pH level, salt concentration level or other factors. This small discovery has escalated the pre- mRNA splicing reaction to a new status.
(27 June, 2008. United Daily News)
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