Transfer RNA News and Research

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Retooling the cell's polypeptide manufacturing plants to generate polymer chains

Synthetic biologists have become increasingly creative in engineering yeast or bacteria to churn out useful chemicals -; from fuels to fabrics and drugs -; beyond the normal repertoire of microbes.

13 Jun 2023

Is mRNA decoding in humans structurally and kinetically distinct from bacteria?

Researchers examined molecular-level differences in ribosomal translational fidelity between humans and bacteria.

7 Apr 2023

Naturally produced molecule directly targets and keeps Fusobacteria under control

Researchers at the Forsyth Institute have discovered an important mechanism that may have profound implications for how we prevent colorectal cancer. Oddly enough, their discovery began in the mouth.

5 Apr 2023

New method for capturing moments during protein translation

Nascent polypeptide chains or polypeptidyl-tRNAs (pep-tRNAs) occur transiently during protein synthesis. The potential to study these intermediates and better understand their role in processes like gene regulation has been greatly enhanced by the development of a process termed PETEOS—short for peptidyl-tRNA enrichment using organic extraction and silica adsorption.

10 Feb 2023

Viruses modify host cellular machinery to produce high amounts of viral progeny

The study, published in Nature Communications, shows a new mechanism whereby viruses modify cellular machinery so that it can better read the instructions in the genome of the invading virus.

29 Aug 2022

The promise of RNA medicine is targeted and personalized

The development of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has only increased the impetus in this field.

11 May 2022

The brain's reaction to COVID's inflammatory tidal wave

Researchers study neuroinflammation in the cerebrospinal fluid and serum of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.

18 Apr 2022

SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein linked to COVID-19 severity

The emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes respiratory coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) triggered an unprecedented public health emergency. Human mobility patterns were fundamental to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 globally. The situation is particularly acute in a country like Saudi Arabia, which has seen more than 750,000 cases and over 9,000 deaths as of March 30th, 2022.

29 Mar 2022

Discovery could help explain why certain infections are hard to get rid of

A new study led by researchers at University of Utah Health details a novel mechanism that infectious bacteria use to quickly adjust to environmental stress. The discovery could help explain why certain types of common infections-;such as urinary tract and bloodstream infections like sepsis- are hard to get rid of.

24 Mar 2022

Research shows alterations in transfer RNAs at the epigenetic level in cancer

A recently published paper in the journal Molecular Cancer by the group of Dr. Manel Esteller, Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, ICREA Research Professor and Genetics Chairman at the University of Barcelona, shows that transfer RNAs for certain amino acids are altered at the epigenetic level in some types of cancer, expressing it in an exaggerated manner in some cases and being deficient in others.

17 Feb 2022

SARS-CoV-2 infection regulates protein arginylation

A new study explores the role of arginylation during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

9 Nov 2021

New study reveals chemical steps in an important cellular modification process

The chemical steps in an important cellular modification process that adds a chemical tag to some RNAs have been revealed in a new study. Interfering with this process in humans can lead to neuronal diseases, diabetes, and cancers.

16 Sep 2021

Scientists develop a new way to deliver molecular therapies to cells

Researchers from MIT, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have developed a new way to deliver molecular therapies to cells.

19 Aug 2021

A new study reveals unintended CRISPR/Cas9 editing events

A recent study by researchers from Sweden and the United Kingdom shows that CRISPR/Cas9-based genomic engineering can prompt unwanted on-target effects, and highlights the complexity of human DNA repair mechanisms in the presence of the powerful prokaryotic Cas9 nuclease. The paper is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

4 Jul 2021

Protein-RNA interactions in SARS-CoV-2-infected cells reveal key regulators of infection

Researchers in the UK, including the University of Oxford and Glasgow, as well as the University of Heidelberg, published their analysis of protein-RNA interactions in SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent significance in the journal Molecular Cell. This research could help to uncover novel antiviral strategies for COVID-19 due to a broader understanding of how the virus works.

27 May 2021

New RNA-sequencing method can help detect numerous modified small RNAs

A team led by a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside, has developed a new RNA-sequencing method-- "Panoramic RNA Display by Overcoming RNA Modification Aborted Sequencing," or PANDORA-seq -- that can help discover numerous modified small RNAs that were previously undetectable.

5 Apr 2021

Compounds repurposed from malaria treatment can kill diarrheal pathogen

A class of compounds used for malaria treatment also kill the intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium, a leading cause of diarrheal disease and death in children that has no cure, a multi-institution collaboration of researchers found in a new study.

1 Oct 2020

More than 40-year-old cancer mystery solved: Thanks to epigenetics

In an article that was just published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by the group of Dr. Manel Esteller, is solved this mystery by describing that in cancer cells the protein that generates the nucleotide "Y" is epigenetically inactivated, causing small but highly aggressive tumors.

12 Aug 2020

Study finds dependency of a type of small RNA on personal attributes

The cells in our body are home to thousands of tiny molecules called RNAs. There are many different types of RNAs – some carry the code for specific proteins to be made, some transport things within the cell, and some can influence which genes get turned on or off.

13 Apr 2020

Scientists solve 3D structure of vaccinia virus RNA polymerase

For viruses to multiply, they usually need the support of the cells they infect. In many cases, only in their host's nucleus can they find the machines, enzymes and building blocks with which they can multiply their genetic material before infecting other cells.

12 Dec 2019