Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) invited Professor Roger Kornberg, a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2006), to give a lecture titled “Beyond Genes” at the Samsung Library Auditorium on the Natural Sciences Campus on May 18th, 2011. Professor Kornberg is with the Structural Biology Department at Stanford University in California. He received the Nobel Prize for the “Studies of the Molecular Basis of Eukaryotic Transcription” on the information transfer from DNA to RNA.
In the lecture, Prof. Kornberg mainly talked about monitoring the diffusion of molecules of the membrane surrounding living cells and transfer rates of biological processes. He described how nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray crystallography were used to follow the functional changes coming from structural dynamics of one meter long DNA compacted into one micrometer dimension. He stressed the importance of understanding the mechanism of selective use and transfer of genetic information. It is very important to know how RNA polymerase knows which genes to read, in which cell at what time and in what place in the body. This will also be helpful in the early diagnosis of disease. According to the professor, cancer is caused when a mistake is made in the transfer process.
In the Q-and-A session after the lecture, he patiently answered several questions from the students and faculty. He explained how the 2-dimensional crystals he grew helped with understanding the kinetics of the 3-dimensional DNA structures. He mentioned how his high school science teacher played a role in developing interest in science and keen observation skills.
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