Artavanis-Tsakonas: LMB 1971-1974, PhD student, PNAC
Greenwald: LMB 1983-1986, Postdoctoral Visitor, Cell Biology
Struhl: LMB 1976-1982; PhD student; Scientific Staff, Cell Biology
The three alumni received the prize for their work on Notch signalling, identifying it as a fundamental cell communication pathway which governs cell fate decisions and, when dysregulated, is implicated in several diseases including neurodegeneration and cancers. Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas successfully cloned the Notch gene and other components of the pathway in Drosophila, establishing its core components and genetic framework and underlining its crucial role in cell communication. At the LMB, Iva Greenwald demonstrated the evolutionary conservation of Notch signalling, when her work to clone and sequence the C. elegans lin-12 gene revealed it was homologous to the Notch gene in flies. She also revealed the key role of line-12/Notch as a binary switch to regulate cell fate decisions. Gary Struhl provided further insights into the regulatory mechanisms of Notch signalling, uncovering how it controls gene expression and spatial patterning in developing Drosophila. Together, the trio have continued to work on Notch signalling and their work has provided far-reaching implications for basic science and medicine. More…