Nicoletta Sacchi | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | Italian |
Alma mater | University of Milan |
Known for | Acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Biochemistry, Oncology |
Institutions | Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center |
Nicoletta Sacchi (born August 20, 1949) is an Italian professor of oncology at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. [1] She is the co-discoverer of the acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction method to extract RNA from biological samples with Trizol. [2] As a consequence of this groundbreaking discovery she is now considered the most cited woman scientist in the world. [3]
Sacchi was born in Milan and studied for her PhD at the University of Milan in 1972, investigating the genetics of yeast. She remained within the fields of genetics for her postdoctoral training at the same University and Erasmus University Rotterdam. [2] [4] [1] Sacchi worked on the generation of antibody repertoires by the TdT DNA polymerase in the lab of Georges Köhler at the Basel Institute for Immunology. [2]
She moved to the US in 1982 and switched to cancer research, focussing on the analysis of the genetics of patient samples at National Cancer Institute. [4] This required a high yield technique to extract RNA from scarce paediatric leukemia samples, so her and colleague Piotr Chomczynski developed a new method to extract the nucleic acid. [5] Since the publication of the technique in 1987 it has become ubiquitous in biological research, earning the paper the accolade of being one of the most cited in history. [3] [6]
Sacchi went back to the University of Milan in 1991 and was promoted to professor. [4] Unsatisfied with research in Italy she spent time back in the US as a visiting professor at the Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University. [2] [4] In 2003 she joined the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center where she continues to study the role of genetics and the epigenome on cancer development. [2] [3]
Sacchi has previously criticised the culture of science in her home nation of Italy, describing the system as “fairly corrupt” and ignorant of the achievements of female scientists. She believes that this has led to brain drain of trained researchers. [3]
In 2001 Sacchi was proclaimed a “Highly Cited Researcher in Biology and Biochemistry” by the Institute for Scientific Information in Philadelphia. In 2007 the Italian President awarded Sacchi with the Commander of Merit. [2]
In genetics, complementary DNA (cDNA) is DNA synthesized from a single-stranded RNA template in a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme reverse transcriptase. cDNA is often used to clone eukaryotic genes in prokaryotes. When scientists want to express a specific protein in a cell that does not normally express that protein, they will transfer the cDNA that codes for the protein to the recipient cell. In molecular biology, cDNA is also generated to analyze transcriptomic profiles in bulk tissue, single cells, or single nuclei in assays such as microarrays and RNA-seq.
BCP may refer to:
The year 1987 in science and technology involved many significant events, some listed below.
In molecular biology, an amplicon is a piece of DNA or RNA that is the source and/or product of amplification or replication events. It can be formed artificially, using various methods including polymerase chain reactions (PCR) or ligase chain reactions (LCR), or naturally through gene duplication. In this context, amplification refers to the production of one or more copies of a genetic fragment or target sequence, specifically the amplicon. As it refers to the product of an amplification reaction, amplicon is used interchangeably with common laboratory terms, such as "PCR product."
The first isolation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was done in 1869 by Friedrich Miescher. Currently it is a routine procedure in molecular biology or forensic analyses. For the chemical method, there are many different kits used for extraction, and selecting the correct one will save time on kit optimization and extraction procedures. PCR sensitivity detection is considered to show the variation between the commercial kits.
The transcriptome is the set of all RNA transcripts, including coding and non-coding, in an individual or a population of cells. The term can also sometimes be used to refer to all RNAs, or just mRNA, depending on the particular experiment. The term transcriptome is a portmanteau of the words transcript and genome; it is associated with the process of transcript production during the biological process of transcription.
Guanidinium thiocyanate(GTC) or guanidinium isothiocyanate (GITC) is a chemical compound used as a general protein denaturant, being a chaotropic agent, although it is most commonly used as a nucleic acid protector in the extraction of DNA and RNA from cells.
Phenol extraction is a processing technology used to prepare phenols as raw materials, compounds or additives for industrial wood processing and for chemical industries. Phenol extraction also is a laboratory process to purify DNA samples.
Acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction is a liquid–liquid extraction technique in biochemistry. It is widely used in molecular biology for isolating RNA. This method may take longer than a column-based system such as the silica-based purification, but has higher purity and the advantage of high recovery of RNA: an RNA column is typically unsuitable for purification of short RNA species, such as siRNA, miRNA, gRNA and tRNA.
In molecular biology, quantitation of nucleic acids is commonly performed to determine the average concentrations of DNA or RNA present in a mixture, as well as their purity. Reactions that use nucleic acids often require particular amounts and purity for optimum performance. To date, there are two main approaches used by scientists to quantitate, or establish the concentration, of nucleic acids in a solution. These are spectrophotometric quantification and UV fluorescence tagging in presence of a DNA dye.
TRIzol is a widely used chemical solution used in the extraction of DNA, RNA, and proteins from cells. The solution was initially used and published by Piotr Chomczyński and Nicoletta Sacchi in 1987.
In molecular biology Proteinase K is a broad-spectrum serine protease. The enzyme was discovered in 1974 in extracts of the fungus Engyodontium album. Proteinase K is able to digest hair (keratin), hence, the name "Proteinase K". The predominant site of cleavage is the peptide bond adjacent to the carboxyl group of aliphatic and aromatic amino acids with blocked alpha amino groups. It is commonly used for its broad specificity. This enzyme belongs to Peptidase family S8 (subtilisin). The molecular weight of Proteinase K is 28,900 daltons.
RNA extraction is the purification of RNA from biological samples. This procedure is complicated by the ubiquitous presence of ribonuclease enzymes in cells and tissues, which can rapidly degrade RNA. Several methods are used in molecular biology to isolate RNA from samples, the most common of these is guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction. The filter paper based lysis and elution method features high throughput capacity.
Spin column-based nucleic acid purification is a solid phase extraction method to quickly purify nucleic acids. This method relies on the fact that nucleic acid will bind to the solid phase of silica under certain conditions.
Homogenization, in cell biology or molecular biology, is a process whereby different fractions of a biological sample become equal in composition. It can be a disease sign in histopathology, or an intentional process in research: A homogenized sample is equal in composition throughout, so that removing a fraction does not alter the overall molecular make-up of the sample remaining, and is identical to the fraction removed. Induced homogenization in biology is often followed by molecular extraction and various analytical techniques, including ELISA and western blot.
Boom method is a solid phase extraction method for isolating nucleic acid from a biological sample. This method is characterized by "absorbing the nucleic acids (NA) to the silica beads".
Phenol–chloroform extraction is a liquid-liquid extraction technique in molecular biology used to separate nucleic acids from proteins and lipids.
Transcriptomics technologies are the techniques used to study an organism's transcriptome, the sum of all of its RNA transcripts. The information content of an organism is recorded in the DNA of its genome and expressed through transcription. Here, mRNA serves as a transient intermediary molecule in the information network, whilst non-coding RNAs perform additional diverse functions. A transcriptome captures a snapshot in time of the total transcripts present in a cell. Transcriptomics technologies provide a broad account of which cellular processes are active and which are dormant. A major challenge in molecular biology lies in understanding how the same genome can give rise to different cell types and how gene expression is regulated.
Small RNA sequencing is a type of RNA sequencing based on the use of NGS technologies that allows to isolate and get information about noncoding RNA molecules in order to evaluate and discover new forms of small RNA and to predict their possible functions. By using this technique, it is possible to discriminate small RNAs from the larger RNA family to better understand their functions in the cell and in gene expression. Small RNA-Seq can analyze thousands of small RNA molecules with a high throughput and specificity. The greatest advantage of using RNA-seq is represented by the possibility of generating libraries of RNA fragments starting from the whole RNA content of a cell.
NAIL-MS is a technique based on mass spectrometry used for the investigation of nucleic acids and its modifications. It enables a variety of experiment designs to study the underlying mechanism of RNA biology in vivo. For example, the dynamic behaviour of nucleic acids in living cells, especially of RNA modifications, can be followed in more detail.