Studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription. Roger Kornberg the Nobel prize in Chemistry 2006

Abstract

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2006 was awarded to an American biochemist and professor of structural biology at Stanford University Roger Kornberg for his fundamental research on the molecular mechanisms of copying genetic information in eukaryotic cells. What are these molecular mechanisms? How is transcription complex formed and what is its structure? R. Kornberg devoted tirelessly 20 years of his work to answer these questions. The article is focused on his research and also describes Roger Kornberg’s life and scientific career. Keywords: DNA, protein crystals, RNA, RNA polymerase II, Roger Kornberg, transcription, transcription complex