Trio wins prize for fluorescent jellyfish protein

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Osamu Shimomura of Japan and US 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 tool in research.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has revolutionised lab work in medicine and biology, enabling scientists to get a visual fix on how diseases spread in mice and lab-dish cells or whether cells respond 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 gives researchers an instant way of monitoring processes that were previously invisible. By tagging nerve cells, scientists can for instance follow the destruction caused by Alzheimer’s disease.