Alan Lambowitz

Much of the function of introns is still unknown to the scientific community today. This is precisely why Lambowitz focuses a majority of his research surrounding group 2 introns.[7][8] Group 2 introns are a specific type of intron that is able to self-spice out of RNA segments and also are able to facilitate splicing and insertion into DNA in order to be replicated and passed on through ancestral pathways.[9] These particular introns are especially important in understanding a variety of concepts within the microbiological community.

Lambowitz focuses on a variety of these concepts while in the lab, such as Group ll Intron reverse transcriptase mechanisms or RNA sequencing. One of the first concepts surrounding group 2 introns that Lambowitz began studying was their size and proliferation within cells.[10] Group 2 introns specifically are often found in bacterial genomes, as well as in chloroplasts and mitochondrial genomes of eukaryotes. It was hypothesized that group 2 introns originated from proteobacteria that were incorporated into host genomes through the process of endosymbiosis. Once in the host genome, these introns went through a degeneration sequence, but promptly proliferated in large amounts after this degeneration. This allowed for the creation of an intron rich environment. Lambowitz and colleagues were able to determine that group 2 introns specifically were a longer form of intron, especially in ancestral form. This is specific to group 2 introns and is thought to be a result of their self-splicing mechanisms. Lambowitz furthered his research into group 2 introns, specifically exploring how these introns could help tell the story of ancestral bacterial lines using RNA sequencing.[11] Along with colleagues, Lambowitz discovered that group 2 introns use a specific intron encoded protein in order to self-splice out of RNA. After understanding that these proteins serve to splice introns out of RNA,[12][13] Lambowitz also discovered that the protein is capable of reverse transcriptase type functions in order to insert introns into host DNA.[14] This discovery was crucial in understanding how these introns carried through ancestral lineage. Also, an important connection to know was the relationship between intron encoded proteins and the size of group 2 introns seen in host cells. When these introns are capable of encoding for their own intron encoded proteins the introns tend to be much longer.

After laying the foundation for group 2 introns and the functions they provide, Lambowitz has branched off into using these mechanisms in order to discover ancestral lineage of bacteria, as well as to pursue research surrounding RNA Diagnostic approaches to disease identification.[15][16][17][18][19] These aspects are crucial in developing faster disease recognition techniques, therefore saving more lives in the long run.