C.G. King and W.A. Waugh were instrumental in the early characterization and isolation of vitamin C, but they were not awarded the Nobel Prize because their contributions were primarily focused on isolation and identification, whereas the Nobel Committee tends to prioritize groundbreaking achievements in synthesis, structural determination, and broader scientific implications.
Key Factors Behind the Nobel Prize Decision:
Synthetic Achievement and Structural Elucidation:
Norman Haworth was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1937 for his work in determining the exact molecular structure of vitamin C and related carbohydrates.
Tadeusz Reichstein synthesized vitamin C chemically (the Reichstein process) in 1933, making large-scale production feasible. This synthesis had significant industrial and public health implications.
Scope of Contribution:
While King and Waugh successfully isolated and identified vitamin C from natural sources (such as lemon juice), this was seen as a biochemical characterization rather than a novel synthesis or structural breakthrough.
The Nobel Committee often emphasizes contributions that lead to new methodologies or synthetic pathways that reshape scientific fields or industries.
Historical Context and Recognition Bias:
At the time, there was a greater emphasis on the chemical synthesis and structural analysis of compounds. This might have overshadowed the contributions of researchers focused on biological or nutritional studies.
Although King and Waugh’s work was crucial, the synthesis by Reichstein and the structural elucidation by Haworth were viewed as the culminating achievements that had broader scientific and practical impact.
Recognition of King and Waugh’s Work:
C.G. King’s work on vitamin C isolation was widely recognized in the scientific community and contributed significantly to understanding nutrition and preventing scurvy.
However, in terms of Nobel-level impact, the ability to synthesize vitamin C and understand its exact structure was seen as the critical step forward.
In summary, the Nobel Prize reflected the synthetic and structural breakthroughs rather than the initial isolation and identification of vitamin C, which explains why King and Waugh were not recipients.
タデウシュ・ライヒスタインがノーベル賞受賞者に含まれなかったのも不思議で、訊いてみました。
Interestingly, Tadeusz Reichstein was not awarded the Nobel Prize for his synthesis of vitamin C, despite his groundbreaking contribution to the field of organic chemistry and the industrial production of vitamin C.
Why Wasn’t Reichstein Awarded the Nobel for Vitamin C?
Focus of Nobel Recognition: In 1937, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Norman Haworth for his work on carbohydrates and the structural elucidation of vitamin C.
At the same time, Albert Szent-Györgyi received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of vitamin C and its biological functions.
Reichstein’s synthetic work, while critical, was seen more as a technical and industrial achievement rather than a pioneering physiological or structural discovery.
Why Might Reichstein Have Felt Overlooked?
The Scale of His Contribution: Reichstein’s synthesis of vitamin C was seen as a significant achievement in organic chemistry, and many considered it on par with or even surpassing the contributions of Norman Haworth and Albert Szent-Györgyi in terms of practical impact.
Recognition of Others: While Haworth and Szent-Györgyi were recognized, Reichstein’s work was acknowledged more in the industrial and chemical fields rather than in the realm of physiology or structural discovery, which were the focus of the 1937 prizes.
Technical vs. Scientific Emphasis: The Nobel Committee may have viewed Reichstein’s work as more of a technical achievement, whereas Haworth’s elucidation of vitamin C’s structure was seen as a theoretical breakthrough that aligned more closely with the Nobel’s emphasis on advancing scientific knowledge.
Reichstein’s Nobel Prize (Later Recognition):
Tadeusz Reichstein eventually received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1950 – but not for vitamin C. He was awarded the prize for his work on the corticosteroid hormones of the adrenal cortex, including the synthesis of cortisone.
His contributions to steroid chemistry had profound implications for treating conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.
Key Takeaway:
Reichstein’s role in vitamin C synthesis was pivotal for public health and industry, but the Nobel Prize for vitamin C was reserved for Haworth and Szent-Györgyi, whose contributions aligned more directly with the Prize’s emphasis on structural elucidation and physiological impact. Reichstein’s later work in hormone synthesis was the achievement that ultimately earned him Nobel recognition.
Ascorbate regulates haematopoietic stem cell function and leukaemogenesis. Nature. 2017; 549: 476-481
Restoration of TET2 Function Blocks Aberrant Self-Renewal and Leukemia Progression.Cell. 2017; 170: 1079-1095.e20 Notably, exogenous vitamin C promotes DNA demethylation in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) (Chung et al., 2010, Esteban et al., 2010) and dramatically enhances 5hmC levels in a TET-dependent manner (Blaschke et al., 2013, Chen et al., 2013, Yin et al., 2013).
Though all of these opsins bind the same 11-cis-retinal chromophore, their absorption properties are uniquely modulated by the protein environment and its coordinated water molecules of each of the opsins to produce the set of pigments that enable color vision [16, 17]. (The photochemical determinants of color vision Bioessays. 2014 Jan; 36(1): 65–74.)
The dominant physical mechanism responsible for the opsin shift in color vision is the interaction of dipolar amino acid residues with the ground- and excited-state charge distributions of the chromophore.(How color visual pigments are tuned Gerd G. Kochendoerfer, Steven W. Lin, Thomas P. Sakmar, Richard A. Mathies Volume 24, Issue 8, 1 August 1999, Pages 300-305 Journal home page for Trends in Biochemical Sciences Review )
When human keratinocytes are grown on their dermal equivalent (fabricated collagen lattices), physiologic concentrations (1–10 nm) of RA result in an epithelium very similar to that in normally keratinized epidermis (Retinoic Acid-Induced Epidermal Transdifferentiation in Skin J. Dev. Biol. 2014, 2(3), 158-173; https://doi.org/10.3390/jdb2030158)
Regulation of keratin expression by retinoids Dermatoendocrinol. 2011 Jul-Sep; 3(3): 136–140. Published online 2011 Jul 1. doi: 10.4161/derm.3.3.15026 PMCID: PMC3219164 PMID: 22110773
Retinoids as important regulators of terminal differentiation: examining keratin expression in individual epidermal cells at various stages of keratinization. R Kopan, G Traska, E Fuchs Crossmark: Check for Updates Author and Article Information J Cell Biol (1987) 105 (1): 427–440. July 01 1987 https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.105.1.427
Mechanisms of Transport and Delivery of Vitamin A and Carotenoids to the Retinal Pigment Epithelium Mol Nutr Food Res . 2019 Aug;63(15):e1801046. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201801046. Epub 2019 Feb 14. Vision depends on the delivery of vitamin A (retinol) to the retina. Retinol in blood is bound to retinol-binding protein (RBP).
HLA-DRA Also known as HLA-DRA1. HLA-DRA is one of the HLA class II alpha chain paralogues.
HLA-DRB1 Also known asSS1; DRB1; HLA-DRB; HLA-DR1B. HLA-DRB1 belongs to the HLA class II beta chain paralogs. The class II molecule is a heterodimer consisting of an alpha (DRA) and a beta chain (DRB), both anchored in the membrane.
Genome-wide association study and meta-analysis find that over 40 loci affect risk of type 1 diabetesNat. Genet., 41 (6) (2009), pp. 703-707, 10.1038/ng.381
Localization of type 1 diabetes susceptibility to the MHC class I genes HLA-B and HLA-ANature, 450 (7171) (2007), pp. 887-892, 10.1038/nature06406
再生医療用同種iPS細胞ストックの作製
再生医療用同種iPS細胞ストックのドナーリクルートについてDonor recruitment of allogeneic iPS cell repository for regenerative medicine齋藤 潤京都大学iPS細胞研究所・臨床応用研究部門 iPS 細胞の製造および品質管理には多くの時間とコストがかかるため, 多種多様なHLA型を網羅することは難しい。そこで京都大学iPS細胞研究所では、HLA-A, -B, -DRの3座においてホモ接合体のドナー(国民の約2%)から樹立した複数のiPS細胞株を樹立し、将来の細胞移植医療に利用可能な医療用iPS細胞ストックを確立することを計画している。‥ HLA(3座)ホモ・ドナー由来のiPS細胞を50株樹立し, ストックとして供給できれば, 国民の7割へ3座一致により拒絶反応のリスクを低減した移植が可能と試算される。‥
Generation of Antibody Diversity Oliver Backhaus February 21st, 2018 Allelic exclusion means that only clonally identical BCRs were expressed on the B-cell surface and not two different versions from two different alleles. ‥ When V(D)J rearrangement did not produce a functional BCR, the second allele will be activated and tested. When this will also fail, the B cell will die by apoptosis; this process is called clonal deletion.
Allelic exclusion (Wikipedia) Allelic exclusion is a process by which only one allele of a gene is expressed while the other allele is silenced. This phenomenon is most notable for playing a role in the development of B lymphocytes, where allelic exclusion allows for each mature B lymphocyte to express only one type of immunoglobulin.
The adaptive immune reaction to an intestinal helminth infestation begins with local dendritic cells picking up and displaying helminth antigens. In the case of schistosome住血吸虫 parasites, antigens coming from the eggs are the most potent. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/helminth-antigens)
Because they occupy such a key position in the immune responses, there has been considerable interest in how DCs interact with helminth parasites, particularly in the context of understanding how adaptive immune responses in helminth-infected animals become Th2-biased. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2632707/)
The term “excretory/secretory antigens” (ES) refers to the parasite molecules that are released at the interface between the parasite and the cells of the immune system by various mechanisms, such as active secretion and diffusion from parasitic soma. These molecules are originated from adult worms intestinal content as well as female worms uterine content released during egg or larval deposition. (中略). Dendritic cells are mediators between innate and adaptive immunity, consequently, they play the principal role in the recognition, capture, processing, and presentation of helminth ES to T cells.(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5893867/)
Upon infection, helminths can cause substantial tissue damage and produce excretory-secretory (ES) products (see Glossary) as they migrate through different organs, including the lungs, intestines, liver, and skin, to complete their life cycles. Collectively, helminth-induced wounding and the production of ES products are known to activate distinct hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells resulting in the initiation of type 2 immune responses characterized by the population expansion and activation of innate immune cells including dendritic cells (DCs), basophils, eosinophils, mast cells (MCs), ILC2s, and specialized hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6168350/)
The induction of Th2 immunity has been shown to be important for resistance to helminth infections in various model systems; however, despite induction of a Th2 response, total clearance of the parasites rarely occurs in man. This implies that helminths have evolved strategies, such as evasion or suppression of the host immune response that prevent their expulsion and permit their long-term survival. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eji.200940109)