一个有重大意义的开创性工作－－浅要介绍2004年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖

Buck及Axel因为他们对嗅觉研究所作出的巨大贡献获得了2004年度的诺贝尔生理或医学奖。他们于1991年克隆了部分的嗅觉感受体基因并最终发现了总数超过1000个的此类基因。他们后来的工作揭示了嗅觉神经通路所具有的非常漂亮的分子组织和解剖连接。他们的工作极大地拓展了嗅觉研究的领域并为功能性的研究提供了坚实的基础。

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Buck and Axel recently won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their contribution to our understanding of the olfactory system. Their heroic efforts in 1991 initialize a series of discoveries that lead to the identification of over 1 000 odorant receptors. They have further revealed the beautiful organization of the entire olfactory pathway at molecular and anatomical levels. Their contributions vastly expand the field of olfaction research and lay solid basis for functional studies.