Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, Illinois 60637
Genetics. 2019 Mar;211(3):789-795. doi: 10.1534/genetics.118.301754.
Between about 1951 and the early 1960s, the basic structure of molecular biology was revealed. Central to our understanding was the unraveling of the various roles of RNA, culminating in the identification of messenger RNA (mRNA) and the deciphering of the genetic code. We know a great deal about the role of Brenner, Crick, Jacob, and Nirenberg in these discoveries, but many others played important supporting parts. One of these is a little-known scientist, Martynas Yčas, who appears in histories, generally without explanation, as the "archivist of the RNA Tie Club." Yčas was born in Lithuania. His father helped write the Lithuanian Constitution in 1919. He studied Roman Law and served in the Lithuanian army before escaping from the Russians in 1940. The records of correspondence of Yčas with the physicist George Gamow and with Francis Crick throw some light on the genesis of our understanding of the role of mRNA. The story of the "RNA Tie Club" illustrates the difficulty in assigning credit for important discoveries and underscores the importance of a free exchange of information, even (or especially) among competitors.
从大约 1951 年到 20 世纪 60 年代初，分子生物学的基本结构被揭示出来。我们理解的核心是解开 RNA 的各种作用，最终确定信使 RNA(mRNA)的身份，并破译遗传密码。我们对布伦纳、克里克、雅各布和尼伦伯格在这些发现中的作用了解很多，但许多其他人扮演了重要的支持角色。其中之一是鲜为人知的科学家马蒂纳斯·亚卡斯（Martynas Yčas），他在历史记载中通常没有解释，被称为“RNA 领带俱乐部的档案管理员”。亚卡斯出生于立陶宛。他的父亲在 1919 年帮助撰写了立陶宛宪法。他学习罗马法，并在 1940 年从俄罗斯人手中逃脱前在立陶宛军队服役。亚卡斯与物理学家乔治·伽莫夫（George Gamow）和弗朗西斯·克里克（Francis Crick）的通信记录为我们理解 mRNA 的作用提供了一些线索。“RNA 领带俱乐部”的故事说明了为重要发现分配功劳的困难，并强调了即使在（尤其是）竞争对手之间，自由交流信息的重要性。
