- In full:
- Michael Warren Young
- Born:
- March 28, 1949, Miami, Florida (age 77)
- Awards And Honors:
- Nobel Prize (2017)
- Subjects Of Study:
- Drosophila melanogaster
- vinegar fly
- circadian rhythm
- period
- timeless
Michael W. Young
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Who is Michael W. Young?
Michael W. Young, born on March 28, 1949, was an American geneticist renowned for his work on circadian rhythms. His research elucidated the molecular mechanisms governing the 24-hour biological clock in humans and other organisms.
Young's study of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster revealed relationships between genes and behaviors, providing insights into human physiological processes like metabolism and sleep. He successfully isolated and sequenced the period gene in 1984, demonstrating its significance in regulating biological rhythms.
In the 1990s, Young discovered the timeless gene and helped elucidate how the period gene controls the circadian clock. His work supported the idea that the PER protein functions in a self-regulating negative feedback loop.
For his discoveries, Young shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Jeffrey C. Hall and Michael Rosbash. He also received other awards, such as the Gruber Foundation Neuroscience Prize in 2009, the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize in 2011, and the Canada Gairdner International Award in 2012.
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What is a geneticist?
A geneticist studies genes and heredity. Some specialize in human genetics, emphasizing the understanding and treatment of genetic diseases. They conduct lab research, investigating gene function, malfunction, and potential treatments. Model organisms such as bacteria and fruit flies often provide insights into human gene function.
Michael W. Young (1949â2024) was an American geneticist known for his work on circadian rhythms. His study of the period gene in Drosophila melanogaster offered insights into daily physiological processes in humans. Young discovered the timeless gene and helped elucidate the molecular mechanism controlling the circadian clock. He received the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries.
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What is Michael W. Young known for studying?
Michael W. Young is an American geneticist notable for his work on the molecular mechanisms that regulate circadian rhythm, the 24-hour biological activity period in humans and other organisms.
His research on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster revealed relationships between genes and behavior, providing insights into daily physiological processes like metabolism and sleep in humans. In the 1980s, Young's focus on genetic mechanisms led to the successful isolation and sequencing of the period gene in 1984. Later, he discovered the timeless gene and the doubletime gene, further elucidating how these genes control the circadian clock.
Young's work has been recognized with the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with Jeffrey C. Hall and Michael Rosbash) and other awards.
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What are circadian rhythms, and why are they important?
Circadian rhythms are the cyclical 24-hour periods of biological activity in living organisms, influenced by the Earth's rotation and the alternation of light and darkness. These rhythms regulate sleep, metabolism, hormone release, and other physiological processes.
Michael W. Young, an American geneticist, contributed significantly to understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms. His work with fruit flies revealed key genes, such as period, timeless, and doubletime, and how their interactions govern the circadian clock. Disruptions to circadian rhythms can lead to sleep disorders, fatigue, and other health problems, highlighting their importance for well-being.
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How did Michael W. Young's research change our understanding of sleep and daily cycles?
Michael W. Young's research revolutionized our understanding of circadian rhythm, the 24-hour biological cycle affecting humans and other organisms. His work with fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) revealed how genes influence behavior, providing insights into human physiological processes like metabolism and sleep. Young isolated and sequenced the period gene, demonstrating its role in regulating biological rhythms. He further discovered the timeless gene and how its protein, TIM, interacts with the PER protein produced by period, enabling PER to enter the cell nucleus to inhibit its own transcription. His identification of the doubletime gene, which controls PER protein oscillations, further advanced the understanding of the circadian clock.
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What Nobel Prize did Michael W. Young receive, and for what discoveries?
Michael W. Young, an American geneticist, was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with Jeffrey C. Hall and Michael Rosbash, for his contributions to the discovery of molecular mechanisms that regulate circadian rhythm. His work primarily focused on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, where he successfully isolated and sequenced the period gene in 1984. Later, Young discovered the timeless gene and its protein, TIM, which binds to PER (the protein produced by period), enabling PER to enter the cell nucleus and inhibit its own transcription. He also identified the doubletime gene, which helps control the frequency of PER protein oscillations. These discoveries provided new insights into daily physiological processes in humans, such as metabolism and sleep.
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Michael W. Young (born March 28, 1949, Miami, Florida) is an American geneticist who contributed to the discovery of molecular mechanisms that regulate circadian rhythm, the 24-hour period of biological activity in humans and other organisms. Youngâs elucidation of the relationships between genes and behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster offered new insight into recurring, daily physiological processes in humans, including metabolism and sleep. For his discoveries, he was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with American geneticists Jeffrey C. Hall and Michael Rosbash).
Young was raised in Miami, Florida. He attended the University of Texas at Austin for undergraduate and graduate studies, receiving a bachelorâs degree in biology in 1971 and a doctorate in genetics in 1975. In 1978, after completing postdoctoral studies (1975â77) at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Young joined the faculty at Rockefeller University as an assistant professor. He was made a full professor there in 1988 and from 2004 served as the universityâs Vice President for Academic Affairs. From 1987 to 1996 he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator.
In the 1980s, Youngâs research on genetic mechanisms in Drosophila became increasingly focused on elucidating the molecular basis of circadian rhythm. He was especially interested in the so-called period gene, which a decade earlier had been proposed by other scientists to play a key role in the regulation of biological rhythms. In 1984 Young successfully isolated and sequenced the period gene, a feat also achieved that year by Rosbash and Hall. Young further showed that introducing a fragment of DNA from the period gene locus into the genome of period-mutant flies restored circadian rhythm, thereby demonstrating the functional significance of the gene.
In the 1990s, working independently and collaborating with Hall and Rosbash, Young helped elucidate the molecular mechanism by which period controls the circadian clock. He discovered a second key gene, timeless, RNA levels of which oscillate on a 24-hour cycle, and found that the timeless protein, TIM, could bind to PER, the protein produced by period, enabling PER to enter the cell nucleus to inhibit its own transcription (synthesis of RNA from DNA). Youngâs discoveries supported the idea that PER functions in a self-regulating negative feedback loopâit accumulates in the cell nucleus at night, its levels declining during the day, when the TIM protein degrades via a light-dependent mechanism. Young subsequently identified a gene called doubletime, which encodes a protein that helps control the frequency of PER protein oscillations in the cell nucleus on a 24-hour cycle. Youngâs later research included the investigation of molecular changes in circadian rhythm that underlie sleep disorders in humans.
In addition to the Nobel Prize, Young was recognized with numerous other awards during his career, including the Gruber Foundation Neuroscience Prize (2009), the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (2011), and the Canada Gairdner International Award (2012), all shared with Hall and Rosbash. He was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences (2007).