Noller, Harry F.

Biography

Harry F. Noller's work has led to fundamental changes in our thinking about the role of RNA in the many steps of protein synthesis. He has used the full range of techniques including traditional biochemical as well as high resolution structural analysis to elucidate mechanisms of protein synthesis. His contributions to the sequencing and of genes encoding ribosomal RNAs and to phylogenetic and other analysis of these data led to insights into the secondary structure of these molecules and to functional inferences. Chemical probing and crosslinking experiments provided the key insights to appreciate the possibility that the peptidyl transferase activity of the large subunit of the ribosome may comprise RNA. His subsequent refined structural analysis building on results from biochemical analysis of stripping of proteins from the large ribosomal subunit and assaying for peptidyl transferase activity has provided a significant contribution to the full understanding of RNA catalysis of peptide bond synthesis and other aspects of ribosome structure and function and protein synthesis.

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