Nobel Prize awarded to father of College faculty member
Dr. Irwin Rose of the University of California, Irvine, was one of a team of three scientists awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Rose is the father of Dr. Robert Rose, assistant professor in N.C. State University's Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Irwin Rose was honored jointly with Dr. Aaron Ciechanover and Dr. Avram Hershko, both of the Israel Institute of Technology, for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, the important cyclical process involved in the breaking down of cell proteins. Rose's work on this study was done while he was with the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
The Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, in its announcement of the award, said, "Thanks to the work of these three Laureates, it is now possible to understand at molecular level how the cell controls a number of central processes by breaking down certain proteins and not others."
Among the processes governed by ubiquitin-mediated degradation are cell division, DNA repair, quality control of newly produced proteins and parts of immune defense. When the degradation does not work correctly, illnesses can occur, such as cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis. Noted the Royal Academy, "Knowledge of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation offers an opportunity to develop drugs against these diseases and others."
Robert Rose's N.C. State research likewise has human health implications. "My overall interest is in understanding transcriptional regulation from a structural perspective, primarily through protein crystallography. My lab focuses on transcriptional regulation in pancreatic beta cells and how mis-regulation of transcription can contribute to diabetes," he said.
"Finding fulfilling work is a great blessing. For me that is the most important lesson of my father's success," he added. "My father has always loved his work; he is not someone who looked for fame. That has made him a creative and unique scientist."
- Terri Leith
The Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, in its announcement of the award, said, "Thanks to the work of these three Laureates, it is now possible to understand at molecular level how the cell controls a number of central processes by breaking down certain proteins and not others."
Among the processes governed by ubiquitin-mediated degradation are cell division, DNA repair, quality control of newly produced proteins and parts of immune defense. When the degradation does not work correctly, illnesses can occur, such as cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis. Noted the Royal Academy, "Knowledge of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation offers an opportunity to develop drugs against these diseases and others."
Robert Rose's N.C. State research likewise has human health implications. "My overall interest is in understanding transcriptional regulation from a structural perspective, primarily through protein crystallography. My lab focuses on transcriptional regulation in pancreatic beta cells and how mis-regulation of transcription can contribute to diabetes," he said.
"Finding fulfilling work is a great blessing. For me that is the most important lesson of my father's success," he added. "My father has always loved his work; he is not someone who looked for fame. That has made him a creative and unique scientist."
- Terri Leith