biology

Kiyoshi Nagai

Kiyoshi Nagai is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kiyoshi Nagai rather than just read about it. In short: Kiyoshi Nagai (June 25, 1949 – September 27, 2019) was a Japanese structural biologist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Cambridge, UK. He was known for his work on the mechanism of RNA splicing and structures of the spliceosome.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Kiyoshi Nagai (June 25, 1949 – September 27, 2019) was a Japanese structural biologist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Cambridge, UK. He was known for his work on the mechanism of RNA splicing and structures of the spliceosome.

Education Nagai studied at Osaka University and earned a Doctor of Philosophy under the supervision of Hideki Morimoto working on the allosteric effect in hemoglobin.

Career and research In 1981 Nagai moved to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology where he worked as a post-doc with Max Perutz on overproduction of eukaryotic proteins in E. coli. He produced recombinant hemoglobin and studied its properties and evolution by crystallography and mutagenesis. In 1987 he became a tenured group leader at the LMB and was joint head of the Division of Structural Studies from 2000 to 2010. He was appointed fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge in 1993. In 1990 his group solved the first structure of an RRM (RNA recognition motif) protein, U1A, and in 1994 showed how it specifically binds RNA. Subsequent work involved crystallographic studies of other components of the spliceosome, a large macromolecular machine that catalyses RNA splicing in eukaryotes, including components of the U2 snRNP and the Sm proteins and culminating in the crystal structures of the full U1 snRNP and the U5 snRNP components Prp8 and Brr2. From 2014, Nagai's group used cryo-electron microscopy to study the spliceosome. Structures of the U5.U4/U6 tri-snRNP gave the first structural insights into the assembly of the spliceosome. Nagai's subsequent structures of spliceosomes in various stages of assembly and catalysis combined with structures from the groups of Reinhard Lührmann, Yigong Shi and others have provided crucial insight into the catalytic mechanism of pre-mRNA splicing.

Awards 2000 Fellow of the Royal Society 1999 Member, European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) 2000 Novartis Medal of the Biochemical Society

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kiyoshi Nagai

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kiyoshi Nagai claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kiyoshi Nagai before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kiyoshi Nagai ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kiyoshi Nagai

In research: Kiyoshi Nagai appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kiyoshi Nagai in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kiyoshi Nagai is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1949 births, 2019 deaths, 20th-century Japanese biologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kiyoshi Nagai outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kiyoshi Nagai in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kiyoshi Nagai means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Kiyoshi Nagai in simple terms?

Why does Kiyoshi Nagai matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kiyoshi Nagai?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kiyoshi Nagai.