Nobel prize in Chemistry in 2008 has been awarded to Osamu Shimomura (USA), Martin Chalfie (USA), Roger Y. Tsien (USA). Among them Osamu Shimomura shared one-third, Martin Chalfie shared one-third and Roger Y.Tsien shared one-third of Nobel Prize
“for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP”
as described by the Nobel foundation.
In 1962, the work of Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie, Roger Y. Tsien led to the discovery of the proteins aequorine and green fluorescent protein (GFP) in a small glowing jellyfish. Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is a protein, which exhibits bright green florescence when exposed to blue light. GFP genes are used to make biosensors. In cell and molecular biology, the GFP gene is frequently used for sensing by inducing GFP (which emits high fluorescent green color) into a cell, it becomes easier to recognize cells under microscopy and easier to study them. The GFP gene has been induced in many bacteria, yeast and other fungi, fish (such as zebra), plant, fly, mammalian cells, including human and has been confirmed that any living thing can emit color throughout its body with a single gene (GFP protein). When a GFP is attached to virus, then we can clearly see when virus transmits from one person to other with green glow. If we attach GFP to Protein, then we can clearly see in microscope how it is moving in a cell.
Tsien mainly contributed to know how GFP works and for developing new techniques. In 1994 Tsien showed the mechanism how GFP chromofore is formed in a chemical reaction, which requires only oxygen (without proteins). The GFP gene can be introduced into organisms and maintained in their genome (in a cell) through breeding. Their work confirmed that living organisms can also produce light.