Moisés Wasserman, President of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, was awarded with the National Chemistry Prize
Currently, Carlos Alberto Niño is studying a post doctorate in the Jocques Mond Institute in Paris.
The National Chemistry Association (Asoquimco) was in charge of giving the prize in their eighth version.
Bogotá D.C., Dec. 15 de 2011 - Agencia de Noticias UN– The Colombian Association of Chemistry (asquimico) awarded the 7th National Chemistry Price Antonio Garcia Banús, to the study on the parasite Giardia intestinalis of the scientist Carlos Alberto Niño, directed by Professor Moisés Wasserman.
Ubiquitination in the early divergent eukaryotes Giardia Intestinalis: an approach to the primitive role of ubiquitination in the eukaryotes linage is the name of the study presented by Wasserman, president of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, along with Niño, a graduate from the University, who is currently studying a post doctorate in the institute Jacques Monod in Paris.
“In my group, we work mainly with two microorganisms, one of them is a parasite known as Giardia intestinalis that has the characteristic of being one of the most primitive organisms that exist in the evolution of eukaryotes; this is a very interesting fact since this is a model that allows studying the biochemical paths and the oldest original biochemical processes, for these reasons, we have used it as a model,” asserted Professor Wasserman.
The study of Carlos Niño, which used this microorganism as a model, used to work on a very important regulation and control method of superior organisms, known as ubiquitination. It is described as a system for the degradation of proteins which are not necessary or which have to be silenced, but that today – and this is one of Carlos’ findings-, shows that it is connected to many regulation processes of superior cells,” asserted professor Wasserman.
“I’m so happy for this prize, not only for me, but for professor Wasserman, for the research group (LIBBIQ) and for Universidad Nacional de Colombia, were I studied. Not only I had the opportunity to work with a great researcher, but also I had the chance to learn about this fantastic topic of ubiquitination of proteins in a very interesting cell model such as Giardia intestinalis,” asserted Niño from Paris.
Additionally, Niño explain some details about the process: “ubiquitination of proteins is a process present in all cell processes. We wondered how a protein such as ubiquitin played an important role in the primitive eukaryotes linage, a very interesting organism, which simple molecular machinery if compared to other eukaryotes.”
Likewise, Niño mentioned that for performing this study, he traveled to laboratories in other countries in order to find answers. “We worked in Argentina, in the lab of Dr. Hugo Luján, an expert in Giardia intestinalis, where we performed experiments of genetic manipulation of the parasite; and in Italy, in the IFOM Institute of Molecular Oncology, in the lab of Dr. Simona Poli, an expert in ubiquitination, who received our cell model, which was unknown for them.”
Therefore, this prize becomes a stimulus for both. Niño will continue his investigation and Wasserman will keep working, supported by a very active and prepared group.
The name of this prize is a tribute, as the president of Universidad Nacional de Colombia mentioned, to the founder of the Chemistry Department of the University, which was the first in Colombia. “Garcia Banús was a republican Spanish citizen in exile during the civil war in Spain, who really established the studies in chemistry in Universidad Nacional de Colombia and in the entire Country,” concluded Wasserman.
(Por: By: End/hes/whg)
N° 998
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