Draft:Alice Chien
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Alice Chien is a Chinese scientist who discovered the thermostable DNA polymerase, Taq. Chien discovered the Taq polymerase in samples collected from Yellowstone National Park while she was a Master's student at the University of Cincinnati, USA.[1][2] Chien's discovery laid the foundation for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), since the heat stability of Taq allows artificial DNA polymerisation at high temperatures during PCR cycles.[3]. The PCR method greatly amplifies the quantity of short segments of DNA, and is the core technology of Covid-19 testing by PCR.[4]
Discovery of the Taq polymerase
[edit]Chien purified the Taq DNA polymerase from a culture of the extreme thermophile Thermus aquaticus. She examined Taq polymerase's major enzymatic functions, and discovered that it is a DNA polymerase free from phosphomonoesterase, phosphodiesterase and single-stranded exonuclease activities.[1]
Chien's research also investigated in detail the optimum conditions for Taq polymerase to function, and found the optimum temperature of DNA replication, the optimum pH, and that Mg2+ is a cofactor for its function. [1] The invention of PCR then easily reproduced the Taq polymerase purification based on her paper.[citation needed]
Honours and applications
[edit]The Taq polymerase enzyme was selected the "Molecule of the Year" in 1989 by Science magazine.[5] In 2021, it was described as the 'world's second best molecule of the year' for its role in PCR testing for the coronavirus, Covid-19.[6] In 2024, Taq is still one of the major polymerases used for PCR reactions. [7]
Patent and financial gains
[edit]Chien did not apply for a patent for her research, but her work has earned companies billions of dollars in royalties.[8] Cetus later developed PCR for commercial uses, and received $30 million from Roche in return for the usage of PCR in January, 1989.[9]
Education
[edit]Chien discovered the Taq DNA polymerase whilst doing her Master's degree in Cell Biology, at the University of Cincinnati, USA. She then went on to acquire her Ph.D. in molecular, cellular and developmental biology at Iowa State University, USA. After her PhD, Chien held a post-doctoral research position in microbiology at the school of medicine, East Carolina University, USA from 1981 to 1982. [10]
Current employment and research
[edit]Chien is currently a professor at the institute of neuroscience, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, where she studies neural gene functions. Specifically, using transgenic and knockout mice, she investigates the adrenoceptor subtype genes Adra2b and Adra2c encoding a2B and a2C adrenoceptors, and their downstream GPCR pathway's function in brain areas such as temporal cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum. Secondly, she investigates the immortalization and characterization of neural cell lines. Specifically, she uses the myelin deficient (msd) rat as a model system for human demyelinating diseases, and established and characterized a clonal oligodendrocyte line CBII.
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c Chien A, Edgar DB, Trela JM (1976). "Deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase from the extreme thermophile Thermus aquaticus". Journal of Bacteriology. 127 (3): 1550–7. doi:10.1128/jb.127.3.1550-1557.1976. PMC 232952. PMID 8432.
- ^ "Basic science: a key ingredient in innovation". Drug Discovery News.
- ^ Ishino, Sonoko; Ishino, Yushizumi (2014). "DNA polymerases as useful reagents for biotechnology – the history of developmental research in the field". Frontiers in Microbiology. 5 (465): 465. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2014.00465. PMC 4148896. PMID 25221550.
- ^ Teymouri, Manoucher; Mollazadeh, Samaneh (2021). "Recent advances and challenges of RT-PCR tests for the diagnosis of COVID-19". Pathol Res Pract . 153443 (221). doi:10.1016/j.prp.2021.153443. PMC 8045416. PMID 33930607.
- ^ Guyer, Ruth (1989). "The Molecule of the Year". Science. 246 (4937): 1543–1546. doi:10.1126/science.2688087. PMID 2688087.
- ^ "The World's Second Best Molecule of the Year". McGill Office for Science and Society.
- ^ Bertolo, Alessandro; Valido, Ezra; Stoyanov, Jivko (2024). "Optimized bacterial community characterization through full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing utilizing MinION nanopore technology". BMC Microbiology. 24 (1): 58. doi:10.1186/s12866-024-03208-5. PMC 10870487. PMID 38365589.
- ^ Leander, Celeste A.; Whitton, Jeanette (2010). "Bling My Research! A Mock Grant Panel Activity Illustrating the Importance of Basic Research". The American Biology Teacher. 72 (5): 308–310. doi:10.1525/abt.2010.72.5.10. JSTOR 10.1525/abt.2010.72.5.10.
- ^ Fore, Joe; Wiechers, Ilse; Cook-Degan, Robert (2006). "The effects of business practices, licensing, and intellectual property on development and dissemination of the polymerase chain reaction: case study". Journal of Biomedical Discovery and Collaboration. 7: 7. doi:10.1186/1747-5333-1-7. PMID 16817955.
- ^ a b Chien, Alice. "Professor Alice Chien". Professor page. Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Retrieved 4 November 2024.