Hershko, Avram

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Hungarian-born Israeli scientist. With Israeli scientist Aaron Ciechanover and US scientist Irwin Rose shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2004 for his contributions to the understanding of the process of cell protein degradation.

Hershko was awarded his share of the Nobel Prize for his work concerning the mechanisms of protein degradation in the human cell. Although much was known about how a cell manufactured the 100,000 proteins that it used to function in various forms, such as hormones and enzymes, it was not known how damaged or unwanted proteins were removed, the process of protein degradation. Hershko and his fellow researchers discovered that a protein, later identified as ubiquitin, formed a stable covalent bond with unwanted proteins, effectively labelling them for disposal. Subsequent work showed that proteins labelled in this way were then moved to a structure in the cell called a proteasome, where they were degraded. It later became known that errors in the cell degradation process can cause diseases such as cystic fibrosis, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease to occur.

The green panel and the crescent represent Islam. Red recalls the original flag. Effective date: 26 July 1965. >>