Today's molecule is not a specific molecule but rather a type of molecule. You have to identify the type of molecule shown here.There's a connection between today's molecule and a Nobel Prize. The clue is the red "P" atom in the molecule. The Nobel Prize was awarded for discovering where that red "P" came from and how quickly this type of molecule was produced. Similar studies were done with many other "P"-containing molecules. This was the beginning of a whole new field of study in biochemistry.
The first person to correctly identify the type of molecule and name the Nobel Laureate(s), wins a free lunch at the Faculty Club. Previous winners are ineligible for one month from the time they first collected the prize. There are four ineligible candidates for this week's reward. You know who you are.
THEME:
Nobel Laureates
Send your guess to Sandwalk (sandwalk (at) bioinfo.med.utoronto.ca) and I'll pick the first email message that correctly identifies the molecule and names the Nobel Laureate(s). Note that I'm not going to repeat Nobel Laureate(s) so you might want to check the list of previous Sandwalk postings by clicking on the link in the theme box.
Correct responses will be posted tomorrow. I may select multiple winners if several people get it right.
UPDATE: The molecule is a phosphatidate. It's an intermediate in the synthesis of triacylglycerols or glycerophospholipids. The R1 and R2 groups represent strings of -CH2- groups, usually sixteen or eighteen carbons.
The phosphorus (P) atom is derived indirectly from inorganic phosphate and the incorporation of radioactive phosphorus as phosphate (32PO42-) into phosphatides was first studied by George de Hevesy. He received the Nobel Prize in 1943 for his work on using radioisotopes to study the synthesis of biological molecules such as phosphatides.
Lots of people knew that the molecule was a phosphatidate but nobody got the Nobel Laureate so there are no winners this week.
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