Roger D. Kornberg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roger Kornberg ForMemRS
Kornberg in 2016
Born	(1947-04-24) April 24, 1947 (age 78) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Education	Harvard University (BS) Stanford University (PhD)
Known for	Transmission of genetic information from DNA to RNA
Spouse(s)	Yahli Lorch
Children	3
Awards	Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2006) Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (2006) Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Prize (2005) Gairdner Award (2000) Harvey Prize (1997) Ciba-Drew Award (1990)
Scientific career
Fields	Structural biology
Institutions	Stanford University Harvard Medical School Hebrew University of Jerusalem Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Thesis	The Diffusion of Phospholipids in Membranes (1972)
Doctoral advisor	Harden M. McConnell
Signature

Roger David Kornberg, born on April 24, 1947, is an American scientist. He is a professor of structural biology at Stanford University School of Medicine. In 2006, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He received this award for his important work on how genetic information moves from DNA to RNA. This process is called transcription.

Early Life and Learning

Roger Kornberg was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents, Arthur Kornberg and Sylvy Kornberg, were both biochemists. His father also won a Nobel Prize! Roger studied chemistry at Harvard University, getting his first degree in 1967. He then earned his PhD in chemical physics from Stanford in 1972.

Roger's Career and Discoveries

After his studies, Kornberg worked as a research fellow in England. In 1976, he became a professor at Harvard Medical School. Two years later, in 1978, he moved to Stanford Medical School. He has been a professor there ever since.

Since 2004, Kornberg has been the editor of the Annual Review of Biochemistry. This is a scientific journal that shares important research.

Understanding DNA and RNA

Kornberg in 2006

Roger D. Kornberg (third from left) with other Nobel winners and Dick Cheney in 2006

Roger Kornberg's main research focuses on how our bodies copy genetic information. This information is stored in DNA. It needs to be copied into RNA so our cells can use it to make proteins. He studied a key protein called RNA polymerase II. He used a method called X-ray crystallography to create 3D pictures of this protein. This helped him see how it works.

Kornberg also made discoveries about nucleosomes. These are tiny structures that package chromosomal DNA inside our cells. He found that DNA wraps around special proteins called histones. This helps organize the long DNA strands. He showed that nucleosomes can stop genes from being copied, acting like a switch.

His team at Stanford developed a way to study transcription using baker's yeast. This simple organism helped them find all the proteins needed for the copying process. They found that these proteins are very similar in all living things, from yeast to humans.

The Mediator Complex

Kornberg made another big discovery: a protein complex called Mediator. This complex helps send signals to the RNA polymerase. It tells the polymerase when and how to copy genes. The Nobel Prize committee said that finding Mediator was a "true milestone." It helped scientists understand how complex organisms work.

Seeing Molecules in Action

For twenty years, Kornberg worked on ways to see the atomic structure of RNA polymerase. He used X-ray crystallography to get clear 3D images. These images showed exactly how DNA, RNA polymerase, and RNA interact during transcription. It was like seeing the copying process happen in real time!

Lipids in Cell Membranes

Early in his career, Kornberg studied how phospholipids move in cell membranes. He discovered that these lipids can "flip-flop" from one side of the membrane to the other. This finding helped explain how cell membranes work.

Awards and Honors

Roger Kornberg has received many awards for his amazing scientific work. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Roger Kornberg para niños

• List of Jewish Nobel laureates