Trio Behind Fluorescent Jellyfish Tool Wins Chemistry Nobel

Oct. 8, 2008 -- Osamu Shimomura of Japan and U.S. duo Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien on Wednesday won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for a fluorescent protein derived from a jellyfish that has become a vital lab tool.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has revolutionized research in medicine and biology, enabling scientists to get a visual fix on how organs function, the spread of disease and the response of infected cells to treatment, the Nobel jury said.

"GFP has functioned in the past decade as a guiding star for biochemists, biologists, medical scientists and other researchers," it said.

"This protein has become one of the most important tools used in contemporary bioscience."

The gene to make GFP is inserted into the DNA of lab animals, bacteria or other cells, where it is "switched on" by other genes. The glow becomes apparent under ultraviolet light.

The telltale protein gives researchers an instant way of monitoring processes that were previously invisible.

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By tagging nerve cells, scientists can for instance follow the destruction caused by Alzheimer's disease. Tumor progression can be followed by adding GFP to cancer cells. By adding GFP to a growing mouse embryo, they can see how the pancreas produces insulin-producing beta cells.

In one spectacular experiment, researchers made a "brainbow," in which they tagged different nerve cells in the brain of a mouse with a kaleidoscope of colors.

Shimomura, born in 1928 and now a professor emeritus at Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and Boston University, pioneered this tool with a study of the jellyfish Aequorea victoria in the 1960s.

He isolated a few precious grams of luminescent liquid from 10,000 jellyfish, which led to the discovery that its source was GFP, a so-called chromophore -- a chemical group that absorbs and emits light.

Shimomoura was the third Japanese citizen to win a Nobel this year, after Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa won the Physics Prize Tuesday along with Japanese-born American Yoichiro Nambu for groundbreaking theoretical work in fundamental particles.

"Honestly, I am surprised to see so many as four Japanese win in one year," Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso told reporters Wednesday. "It's really good."