Osamu Shimomura

Osamu Shimomura was a Japanese organic chemist and marine biologist whose work on bioluminescent organisms led to the discovery of green fluorescent protein. He shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Frank Johnson: An American marine biologist who studied bioluminescence in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. Shimomura worked with Johnson at Princeton investigating the jellyfish’s light-producing system.
Green fluorescent protein: A protein that emits green light when excited by blue or ultraviolet light. Shimomura discovered this protein in Aequorea victoria and established its fluorescent properties.
Nagasaki: A Japanese city that was the site of the 1945 atomic bombing and Shimomura’s early postwar education. Shimomura studied pharmacy in Nagasaki before pursuing research in organic chemistry.
2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie, and Roger Y. Tsien for GFP research. The prize recognized the discovery, development, and use of green fluorescent protein.
Martin Chalfie: An American biologist who demonstrated that GFP could mark gene expression in living organisms. His experiments showed how Shimomura’s protein could become a biological imaging tool.
Aequorin: A calcium-sensitive photoprotein that emits blue light when it binds calcium ions. Shimomura isolated aequorin alongside GFP while studying jellyfish bioluminescence.
Nagasaki University: A national research university in Nagasaki, Japan, founded in 1949. Shimomura graduated from its School of Pharmacy in 1951.
Fluorescence microscopy: A microscopy method that uses fluorescent molecules to reveal structures and processes in samples. GFP made it possible to observe selected proteins and cells in living systems.
Roger Y. Tsien: An American chemist who engineered fluorescent proteins with altered colors and improved properties. Tsien extended the fluorescent-protein research that began with Shimomura’s discovery.
Bioluminescence: Light produced by chemical reactions within living organisms. Shimomura’s investigations focused on the chemistry behind light in marine organisms.

Linked from 5 pages

Nagoya UniversityRelated: Shimomura studied at Nagoya University during his early scientific training.