Lecture 02: Progress of Modern Molecular Biology

The Basic Concepts of Molecular Biology

1953 Watson & CrickDNA Double Helix model

Two basic properties of the gene

DNA and protein as the core; biochemistry as the basic

Self-replicating

Traits controlled by gene

Life systematic common Biological personality

Generalized Molecular Biology

in the field of molecular biology

there are three basic principles

★ Monomer constitute of macromolecules are the same

★ The central dogma of genetic expression is the same

DNA

RNA polypeptides protein character

Higher StructureInteraction between biological macromolecules

Individuality

Three basic principles

The common nucleic acid language

The common protein language

★ macromolecular monomer sequences (nucleotides and amino acids) are different

protein

Structural Biology

Gene Molecular Biology Applying molecular biology

Three main fields of molecular biology DNA-protein

Hormone-receptor Enzyme-substrate

Gene Concept

Gene structure

Gene expression

Gene recombinantGene exchange

Gene engineering

Cell engineering

Enzyme engineering

Microbial engineering

Protein engineering

Narrow molecular biology

1847, Schleiden & Schwann

Interactions between cells and molecules

1st of the three supporting disciplines

• All organisms made up of cells• The basic unit for all organizations is cells

• Cells are universal and permanent biological rule

Cytology Molecular Cell biology Cytology

Mendel in 1864

Genetics

Molecular Genetics

Gene structure Gene duplication Gene expression

Gene recombination Gene mutation

Gene hypothesis

Genetics

2nd of the three supporting disciplines

Biochemistry

Nucleic Acid Chemistry Protein Chemistry

(1936, Sumner)

Enzyme → Protein

Biochemistry

3rd of the three supporting disciplines

Progress of Molecular Biology

For nearly half a century

Molecular biology major breakthrough and achievement

Nobel Prize

Milestone of biological development

Joshua Lederberg

1958 Joshua Lederberg (33y)

Phage transduction

Beadle & Tatum

One gene--one enzyme

Severo Ochoa (54y)

Rich phosphate bonds

of ATP --- Energy

Arthur Kornberg (41y)

DNA replication

Isolation

DNA polymerase I

1959

James Watson (34y)

Francis Crick (46y)

Maurice Wilkins (46y)

DNA Double Helix model

1962

Francois Jacob (44y)

Jacques Monod (55y)

(French)

Lac. Operon Theory

1965

Concept of mRNA

1968R. Holley H.G. Khorana M. Nirenberg

H. Gobind Khorana(46y) How to synthesize triplet RNA

Marshall Nirenberg(41y) Genetic coden

Robert Holley(46y) tRNAphe cloverleaf structure

1969

Max Delbruck (63y)

Alfred Hershey (61y)

Phage group

Phage infection cycle

DNA as genetic material

M. Delbruck

A. Hershey

Howard Temin (41y) David Baltimore (37y)

Reverse transcription1975

Walter Gilbert

Mechanism of protein synthesis

Isolation of Lac. Operon repressor

1980

DNA + SV40 →

Recombination DNA

Paul Berg

1983.

Barbara McClintock (86y)

DNA transposable element

1984 Kohler & Milstein

→ Monocloning antibody

1993 Roberts & Sharp

→ Splitting gene

1994 Gilman & Rodball → G-protein as a signal

molecular in cell

1995 Lewis & Nusslein-Volhard

→ Control gene of body

developing in Drosophila

Outlook of Molecular Biology

The Leading Discipline of Natural Sciences will Change Significantly

Physics

Biology

Popular Sayings

《 Nature 》 14/21 editors work for biology

USA 2/3 agricultural increase due to biotech

Many good students choose to study life sciences or biomedicine

A Popular Saying:Mathematics has 1% unknownPhysics has 10% unknownChemistry has 30 ％ unknown Biology has 7070 ％％ unknown

Challenges are Opportunities

New hot spots in molecular biology

GeneticallyModified

Organisms

Clever Monkey

Premature Aging Gene

Discovered

6 y 20 y

Innate: Intelligence

Nimble

Personality: Patient

Ardor

Honest

Dependable

Cooperative

To be younger

and younger !