- In full:
- Phillip Allen Sharp
- Born:
- June 6, 1944, Falmouth, Ky., U.S. (age 82)
- Awards And Honors:
- National Medal of Science (2004)
- Nobel Prize (1993)
- Subjects Of Study:
- DNA
- exon
- intron
- messenger RNA
Phillip A. Sharp
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Who is Phillip A. Sharp?
Phillip A. Sharp, born in Falmouth, Kentucky, on June 6, 1944, is an American molecular biologist. Along with Richard J. Roberts, he received the 1993 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discovering that genes are interrupted by DNA sections that do not encode protein structure.
Sharp earned a doctorate in chemistry in 1969 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1974, he joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he performed his Nobel Prize-winning research at the Center for Cancer Research (now the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research).
In 1977, Sharp and his team found that an adenovirus's messenger RNA (mRNA) corresponded to four separate, discontinuous segments of DNA. They discovered that protein-coding DNA segments (exons) are separated by non-genetic information (introns). Sharp's work has had direct implications for developing new therapeutics, leading him to cofound Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in 2002.
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What field of science does Phillip A. Sharp work in?
Phillip A. Sharp is an American molecular biologist. Molecular biology is a field of science that studies the chemical structures and processes of biological phenomena involving molecules, the basic units of life. Sharp's Nobel Prize-winning research focused on the discontinuous structure of genes in eukaryotic organisms, where segments of DNA coding for proteins (exons) are separated by noncoding regions (introns). His work has direct implications for developing new therapeutics. RNA splicing, the removal of introns and rejoining of exons, is also a significant part of his research.
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What is Phillip A. Sharp best known for discovering?
Phillip A. Sharp, an American molecular biologist, is best known for his groundbreaking discovery made in 1977, that genes are often interrupted by long sections of DNA that do not encode protein structure.
Prior to Sharp's finding, biologists believed that genes were continuous stretches of DNA that served as direct templates for mRNA in the assembly of proteins. Sharp's team discovered that the segments of DNA that coded for proteins, called exons, were separated by long stretches of DNA, called introns, that did not contain genetic information. He shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Richard J. Roberts for this discovery.
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How did his discovery change how scientists understand genes?
Phillip A. Sharp's discovery, along with Richard J. Roberts, revolutionized the understanding of genes by revealing that genes are not continuous stretches of DNA. Instead, they are often interrupted by long sections of DNA that do not encode protein structure.
Sharp and his team found that the segments of DNA that code for proteins, called exons, are separated by non-coding stretches of DNA called introns. This finding, demonstrated to be common in eukaryotes, contrasted the previous belief that genes were continuous, direct templates for mRNA. This led to the understanding that precursor RNA molecules initially contain copies of introns, which are later removed, and exons are spliced together to form the final mRNA molecule.
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What impact did Phillip A. Sharp's work have on medicine and genetics?
Phillip A. Sharp's work has had a profound impact on medicine and genetics. Sharp, along with Richard J. Roberts, received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993 for discovering that genes are often interrupted by long sections of DNA that do not encode protein structure.
Sharp's team found that segments of DNA that code for proteins (exons) are separated by non-coding DNA regions (introns). After DNA transcription, the noncoding regions are removed, and the exons are joined to form mRNA. Mutations during splicing can lead to genetic diseases. This discovery has provided insights into the development of new therapeutics and a better understanding of genetic diseases.
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Why was Phillip A. Sharp awarded the Nobel Prize and what does this prize recognize?
Phillip A. Sharp, an American molecular biologist, was awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Richard J. Roberts. This award recognized his independent discovery that individual genes are often interrupted by long sections of DNA that do not encode protein structure.
Sharp's research demonstrated that the segments of DNA that code for proteins, known as exons, are separated by stretches of DNA, called introns, that do not contain genetic information. This groundbreaking work revolutionized the understanding of gene structure in eukaryotic organisms.
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Phillip A. Sharp (born June 6, 1944, Falmouth, Ky., U.S.) is an American molecular biologist, awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, along with Richard J. Roberts, for his independent discovery that individual genes are often interrupted by long sections of DNA that do not encode protein structure.
Sharp received a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1969. In that year he began working at the California Institute of Technology, moving to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York in 1971. In 1974 he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he joined the Center for Cancer Research (now the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research) and conducted his prize-winning experiments.
In 1977 Sharp and his team discovered that the messenger RNA (mRNA) of an adenovirus corresponded to four separate, discontinuous segments of DNA. They found that the segments of DNA that coded for proteins, now called exons, were separated by long stretches of DNA, now called introns, that did not contain genetic information. At the same time, a team working independently under Roberts came up with the same finding. Previously biologists had believed that genes were continuous stretches of DNA that served as direct templates for mRNA in the assembly of proteins; this model was based on studies of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria. Following the discovery of Sharp and Roberts, it was demonstrated that the discontinuous gene structure is the most common one found in eukaryotes, among which are all higher organisms, including humans.
In 1978 Sharp cofounded a pharmaceutical company called Biogen Ltd. (now Biogen Idec), which later developed agents to treat hairy-cell leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and certain autoimmune disorders. Subsequent studies in the late 1970s and early 1980s, many of them carried out in Sharp’s laboratory, showed that DNA transcription initially produces a precursor RNA molecule containing copies of the introns; the final mRNA molecule is produced by the removal of the introns and the splicing together of the exons. A significant proportion of genetic diseases result from mutations that arise during splicing. Biologists also believe that the discontinuous structure of genes may be an evolutionary mechanism, permitting the “reshuffling” of exons and thus the synthesis of new proteins.
In 1988 Sharp received the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for his discoveries relating to RNA splicing. He served as head of the biology department at MIT from 1991 to 1999, when he earned the title Institute Professor at the Koch Institute. Following his work on introns and splicing, he began investigating the role of RNA in controlling genes. Sharp’s research had direct implications on the development of new therapeutics, which led to his involvement as cofounder of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in 2002. From 2000 to 2004 he directed the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, then returned full time to his position in the Koch Institute. In 2004 Sharp was awarded the National Medal of Science for his research and discoveries based on the application of RNA interference (RNAi) technology to genetic studies in cells. In 2006 he cofounded a small biotechnology company called Magen BioSciences, Inc., which focused on the development of drugs to treat dermatological disorders, such as psoriasis and rosacea.