- In full:
- Carol Widney Greider
- Born:
- April 15, 1961, San Diego, California, U.S. (age 65)
- Awards And Honors:
- Nobel Prize (2009)
- Subjects Of Study:
- DNA
- aging
- cancer
- telomerase
- telomere
Carol W. Greider
-
Who is Carol W. Greider?
Carol W. Greider, born on April 15, 1961, is an American molecular biologist celebrated for her groundbreaking work on telomeres and the discovery of telomerase. In 2009, she shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak for this research.
Greider's investigations into telomere length revealed their critical role in determining cell lifespan and their connection to cancer. She found that inhibiting telomerase activity in cancer cells could prevent cell survival and slow tumor growth, making telomerase a potential target for anticancer drugs.
She has held professorships at Johns Hopkins University and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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What is a molecular biologist?
A molecular biologist studies the chemical structures and processes of biological phenomena involving molecules, especially nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and proteins. They investigate how these macromolecules interact within cells. Molecular biologists use techniques such as X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, genetic engineering, polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and microarray analysis to understand the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules and the molecular basis of genetic processes.
Carol W. Greider (born April 15, 1961) is an American molecular biologist known for her research on telomeres and the discovery of telomerase. This enzyme maintains chromosome functionality by adding DNA to telomeres. Greider's work revealed that inhibiting telomerase activity in cancer cells slows tumor growth, making telomerase a potential target for anticancer drugs. In 2009, she shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak for her discoveries.
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What important discovery did Carol W. Greider make?
Carol W. Greider, an American molecular biologist, is renowned for her groundbreaking work on telomeres and the discovery of telomerase, an enzyme that maintains chromosome functionality by adding DNA to telomeres. Her research demonstrated that telomeres, composed of repeated DNA segments, shorten with each cell division, eventually leading to cell death. Greider discovered that inhibiting telomerase activity in cancer cells with dysfunctional telomeres prevents cell survival and slows tumor growth, suggesting telomerase as a potential target for anticancer drugs. This work was done jointly with Elizabeth H. Blackburn, and Jack W. Szostak, and they were awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.
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What are telomeres and why are they important?
Carol W. Greider, along with Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak, won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for her work on telomeres and the discovery of telomerase.
Telomeres are segments of DNA at the ends of chromosomes in eukaryotic cells. They consist of repeating DNA sequences, like TTAGGG in humans, that shorten each time a cell divides. Telomeres help prevent DNA loss by forming a protective cap over the chromosome end.
Telomerase is an enzyme that adds nucleotides to telomeres, maintaining chromosome functionality and cell life span. Telomeres and telomerase are crucial in cell aging, cell death, and diseases like cancer.
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How did Carol W. Greiderās work on telomerase help scientists understand cell aging?
Carol W. Greider's work on telomerase has significantly advanced the understanding of cell aging. Greider, along with Elizabeth H. Blackburn, discovered telomerase in 1984. They found that telomerase, an enzyme, adds DNA to telomeres, which are segments of DNA at the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres consist of repeating DNA sequences that shorten each time a cell divides; once telomeres reach a critical length, the cell stops dividing and dies. Greider's research showed that telomerase maintains telomere length, thereby helping to regulate and extend cell life span. Her later research indicated that abnormal telomerase regulation may contribute to cancer development, as inhibiting telomerase activity in cancer cells can prevent cell survival and slow tumor growth.
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What major award did Carol W. Greider receive for her research, and why was it significant?
Carol W. Greider was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for her research on telomeres and her discovery of telomerase.
Telomeres are segments of DNA at the ends of chromosomes, and telomerase is an enzyme that adds DNA to telomeres, helping maintain chromosome functionality. This discovery is significant because telomeres play a critical role in cell life span, and their dysfunction is implicated in cancer. Greider's work showed that inhibiting telomerase activity in cancer cells could slow tumor growth, making telomerase a potential target for anticancer drugs.
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Carol W. Greider (born April 15, 1961, San Diego, California, U.S.) is an American molecular biologist who was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, along with American molecular biologist and biochemist Elizabeth H. Blackburn and American biochemist and geneticist Jack W. Szostak, for her research into telomeres (segments of DNA occurring at the ends of chromosomes) and for her discovery of an enzyme called telomerase.
Greider received a bachelorās degree in biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1983. The following year she enrolled as a graduate student in molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley, where she joined Blackburnās lab. Together, Greider and Blackburn investigated mechanisms of chromosome maintenance in cells. The research led to their joint discovery of telomerase, which they initially isolated from Tetrahymena, a protozoan that, relative to other organisms, contains an abundance of telomeres. Greider and Blackburn found that telomerase adds DNA to telomeres and thereby helps maintain the functionality of chromosomes. In 1987 Greider received a Ph.D. in molecular biology and subsequently was awarded a fellowship to conduct research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. There she continued her investigations into telomerase, characterizing genetic elements of the enzyme and further elucidating its cellular functions. In 1990 Greider was made assistant investigator at Cold Spring Harbor and later became associate investigator (1992) and investigator (1994).
In the mid-1990s Greiderās research became increasingly focused on telomere length. Telomeres are composed of repeated segments of DNA, and multiple repeat segments are lost each time a cell divides. When telomeres have been reduced to a certain length, cell death occurs; thus, telomeres play an important role in determining cell life span. However, in certain types of cancer, telomere regulation of cell life span is rendered dysfunctional. Greider suspected that abnormal regulation of telomerase contributed to the development of certain cancers. She discovered that inhibiting telomerase activity in cancer cells with dysfunctional telomeres prevents cell survival and thereby slows tumour growth. This research led to the subsequent emergence of telomerase as a potential target for the development of anticancer drugs. In the early 2000s Greider continued to investigate the role of telomeres and telomerase in the development of cancer. She also studied the influence of telomere shortening on aging and age-related diseases.
In 1997 Greider took a position as associate professor of molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, where she became a full professor in 1999 and professor of oncology in 2001. In 2003 she earned the title of Daniel Nathans Professor and director of the department of molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins. Greider moved to the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2020, and there she served as distinguished professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology.
In addition to the 2009 Nobel Prize, Greider received numerous other awards throughout her career for her telomere research, including the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Science (1999; shared with Blackburn), the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award (2006; shared with Blackburn and Szostak), and the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences (2006; shared with Blackburn). Greider also was elected a member of multiple science organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences (2003).