Non Coding RNA (ncRNA) News and Research

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Cyclin D1 protein controls cell cycle progression, microRNA biogenesis in breast cancer

Cyclin D1, a protein that helps push a replicating cell through the cell cycle also mediates the processing and generation of mature microRNA, according to new research publishing November 29 in Nature Communications. The research suggests that a protein strongly implicated in human cancer also governs the non-protein-coding genome. The non-coding genome, previously referred to as junk DNA, makes up most of the human genome, and unlike the coding genome, varies greatly between species.

29 Nov 2013

Researchers successfully target T lymphocytes which play key role in body's immune response

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have successfully targeted T lymphocytes - which play a central role in the body's immune response - with another type of white blood cell engineered to synthesize and deliver bits of non-coding RNA or microRNA (miRNA).

26 Nov 2013

Researchers study role of small non-coding RNAs expressed in the human male germline

Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, have studied the role of a peculiar class of small non-coding RNAs that are mainly expressed in the human male germline.

22 Nov 2013

Hebrew University to participate in new European research project on chronic pain

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is one of 11 universities, medical centers and research institutes in seven countries participating in ncRNAPain, a new European research project that aims at further exploring the biological mechanisms underlying chronic pain.

12 Nov 2013

Researchers discover how cancer development molecule maintains its genome integrity

University of Montreal researchers have discovered how telomerase, a molecule essential for cancer development, is directed to structures on our genome called telomeres in order to maintain its integrity and in turn, the integrity of the genome.

7 Oct 2013

Study sheds new light on the dark matter of genome

Using technology he helped develop, Vanderbilt University scientist Bryan Venters, Ph.D., has shed new light on the "dark matter" of the genome and has begun to explore a possible new approach to treating cancer.

19 Sep 2013

Study paves way for understanding the crucial role of lncRNA in human neurons

Scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore have discovered an unusual gene that controls the generation of neurons. This important finding, which is crucial in understanding serious diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer's disease, was reported in the 8th August 2013 issue of the prestigious scientific journal, Molecular Cell.

28 Aug 2013

Study shows enhancer RNA molecules may open new avenues for gene therapy

A study investigating the function of the recently discovered enhancer RNA molecules may open new avenues for gene therapy. According to the study researchers, altering the production and function of these molecules could affect the expression of genes and, in consequence, possibly also the progression of various diseases.

14 Aug 2013

Strategy that dismantles flu viral genome in human lung cells ensures safe research

A new strategy that dismantles a viral genome in human lung cells will ensure safe research on deadly strains of influenza, say researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

13 Aug 2013

Discovery may help explain how anti-inflammatory steroid drugs work

A gene long presumed dead comes to life under the full moon of inflammation, Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have found.

23 Jul 2013

Prader-Willi syndrome results in dysregulation of circadian and metabolic genes

Researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute and Agilent Laboratories have found that Prader-Willi syndrome - a genetic disorder best known for causing an insatiable appetite that can lead to morbid obesity - is associated with the loss of non-coding RNAs, resulting in the dysregulation of circadian and metabolic genes, accelerated energy expenditure and metabolic differences during sleep.

26 Jun 2013

Researchers describe alterations in long noncoding RNA sequences in Rett syndrome

Researchers at the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Program at IDIBELL led by Manel Esteller, ICREA researcher and professor of genetics at the University of Barcelona, have described alterations in noncoding long chain RNA sequences in Rett syndrome.

3 May 2013

Wistar researchers find surprising role for RNA-editing protein in gene silencing

RNA, once considered a bit player in the grand scheme by which genes encode protein, is increasingly seen to have a major role in human genetics.

2 May 2013

Junk DNA plays important role in brain development

Specific DNA once dismissed as junk plays an important role in brain development and might be involved in several devastating neurological diseases, UC San Francisco scientists have found.

16 Apr 2013

Article details mechanism by which long non-coding RNA-activators promote gene expression

Long segments of RNA- encoded in our DNA but not translated into protein-are key to physically manipulating DNA in order to activate certain genes, say researchers at The Wistar Institute. These non-coding RNA-activators (ncRNA-a) have a crucial role in turning genes on and off during early embryonic development, researchers say, and have also been connected with diseases, including some cancers, in adults.

18 Feb 2013

Nucleic Acid Therapeutics publishes special research section on noncoding RNAs

As scientists continue to unravel the complexity of the human genome and to uncover vital elements that play a role in both normal physiology and disease, one particular class of elements called noncoding RNAs is gaining a lot of attention. Guest Editor Tom Cech, PhD and Executive Editor Fintan Steele, PhD explore the enormous potential value of this rapidly advancing research area in their Editorial " The (Noncoding) RNA World."

15 Feb 2013

Researchers identify miR-506 as potential therapeutic candidate for metastatic ovarian cancer

Researchers employed an extensive analysis of genomic information to identify a new, high-risk cohort of ovarian cancer patients, characterize their tumors, find a potential treatment and test it in mouse models of the disease.

11 Feb 2013

Non-coding RNA MALAT1 influences lung cancer metastasis

The vast majority - approximately 80 percent - of our DNA does not code for proteins, yet it gets transcribed into RNA. These RNA molecules are called non-coding and fulfill multiple tasks in the cell. Alongside a well-studied group of small RNAs, there is also a class of so-called long non-coding RNAs consisting of more than 200 nucleotides.

6 Feb 2013

SINEUP allows scientists to target individual genes in cells to increase protein production

One of the most innovative biotechnologies of the last decade has recently been developed. SINEUP allows scientists, for the first time, to target individual genes in cells to knockup, or increase, the amount of protein they make. The technique will improve Protein manufacture, analyse the function of genes and engineer improved cell function.

From Cell Guidance Systems 31 Jan 2013

Non-coding RNA essential for normal embryonic cardiogenesis

Many different tissues and organs form from pluripotent stem cells during embryonic development. To date it had been known that these processes are controlled by transcription factors for specific tissues. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, in collaboration with colleagues at MIT and the Broad Institute in Boston, have now been able to demonstrate that RNA molecules, which do not act as templates for protein synthesis, participate in these processes as well.

30 Jan 2013