The prestigious 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNAs, tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in regulating gene activity across both animals and plants.
The significance of microRNAs lies in their ability to control multiple genes simultaneously, with a single gene potentially being regulated by several microRNAs. This multifaceted regulation has reshaped our understanding of genetic control.
“The groundbreaking discovery of microRNAs has revealed a novel mechanism for gene regulation,” stated a representative of the Nobel committee for Physiology and Medicine. “These findings are vital for comprehending embryological development, normal physiology, and diseases such as cancer.”
Their pioneering work began in the 1980s while studying mutant strains of the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. Although Ambros relocated to Harvard University and Ruvkun to Massachusetts General Hospital, they continued their research on these mutant strains, ultimately leading to their landmark discovery.
In cellular biology, the instructions for protein synthesis are stored within DNA in the nucleus. Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) carry these instructions to the cellular machinery responsible for protein production. However, microRNAs influence gene activity by interacting with mRNAs, typically resulting in the degradation of the RNA before protein synthesis can occur.
MicroRNAs, measuring around 20 base pairs long, bind to complementary sequences on mRNAs, effectively silencing the gene associated with that RNA. Although generally acting within individual cells, microRNAs can also be released to affect distant locations in the body, and in some instances, even control other organisms—like certain symbiotic fungi that release microRNAs to assist in colonizing tree roots.
Research on microRNA-based therapies is ongoing, with the potential for these tiny molecules to revolutionize treatment for various medical conditions. Furthermore, the levels of specific microRNAs hold promise as biomarkers for disease diagnosis.
Ambros and Ruvkun’s initial discovery of microRNAs in the 1990s was centered on lin-4, a microRNA that regulates a single gene and was thought to be unique to nematodes, resulting in limited immediate recognition. However, the subsequent identification of another microRNA, let-7, by Ruvkun in 2000—capable of regulating five genes and found in a wide range of animals—sparked widespread interest in these molecules, leading to the discovery of thousands of microRNAs across diverse species.
According to the Nobel assembly’s secretary-general, Ambros and Ruvkun expressed great excitement upon receiving news of their award and are looking forward to the ceremony in Stockholm.
The previous year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their pivotal work in modifying mRNA to evade degradation by the immune system, laying the groundwork for mRNA vaccine development, including those for COVID-19.
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