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Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.

SARS-CoV-2 infection hijacks and damages parts of infected cells' vital RNA machinery

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hijacks parts of infected cells' vital RNA machinery, thereby blocking important functions in the cells. These damaging changes in the RNA can likely be reversed, potentially leading to new drugs against COVID-19, University of Gothenburg researchers show.

30 Mar 2023

New nanoparticles can perform gene editing in the lungs, paving the way for inhalable therapies

Nanoparticles can be used to deliver messenger RNA encoding proteins to the lungs, results of a new study carried out at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Medical School show.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 30 Mar 2023

Meta-scale approach to quantifying the protein variants in the human body

A key conundrum in biology is why many very simple creatures, such as the widely studied worm C. elegans, have almost as many genes as the human genome, which has about 20,000 genes.

27 Mar 2023

New breakthrough in controlling plant responses to temperature

UC Riverside scientists have significantly advanced the race to control plant responses to temperature on a rapidly warming planet.

24 Mar 2023

Blunted inflammatory response in obese individuals responsible for susceptibility to severe COVID-19

Individuals who are obese may be more susceptible to severe COVID-19 because of a poorer inflammatory immune response, say Cambridge scientists.

23 Mar 2023

Revealing how hematopoietic stem cells acquire malignant traits in cancer

Scientists from Lund University’s Faculty of Medicine have discovered a novel mechanism connecting ribonucleic acid (RNA) metabolism to the development of leukemia in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

23 Mar 2023

Blunted inflammatory response could make obese patients more susceptible to severe COVID-19

Individuals who are obese may be more susceptible to severe COVID-19 because of a poorer inflammatory immune response, say Cambridge scientists.

21 Mar 2023

DNA drugs help restore the normal processing of protein-encoding RNA

A protein named TDP-43 has been lost from its normal location in the nucleus of the cell in virtually all persons having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in up to half of all cases of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

From UC San Diego 20 Mar 2023

Delaying paralysis in ALS by using designer DNA drug

In virtually all persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in up to half of all cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia, a protein called TDP-43 is lost from its normal location in the nucleus of the cell.

20 Mar 2023

Using a programmable control switch to deliver therapeutic RNA molecules to target cells

Using an RNA sensor, MIT engineers have designed a new way to trigger cells to turn on a synthetic gene.

17 Mar 2023

Highly sensitive bioluminescent platform for nucleic acid detection

Despite significant advances, numerous highly sensitive viral disease diagnostic tests even now require complex techniques to prepare a sample or decipher a result, making them inconvenient for point-of-care settings or areas with limited resources.

17 Mar 2023

Highlighting a potential sex‐specific precision immunotherapy strategy

Immunotherapy is an effective form of treatment for various types of cancer. However, its effect on pancreatic cancer is restricted and varies between men and women. Karolinska Institutet scientists have observed a possible explanation for this gender difference.

17 Mar 2023

High correlation between the product of a gene in the majority of cancers

The product of a gene expressed in most cancers, including the most prevalent type of head and neck cancer, has been linked to elevated levels of white blood cells that produce antibodies inside tumors, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.

14 Mar 2023

Rice biologists embark on a three-year project to create genetically encoded antibiotics

Synthetic biologists at Rice University are embarking on a three-year project to create "genetically encoded antibiotics," strands of RNA that bacteria will readily copy and share that will selectively kill only disease-causing, pathogenic bacteria.

14 Mar 2023

Significance of astrocyte–neuron interactions in fine-tuning brain function

Humans learn to handle a variety of skilled movements throughout their lives, from driving a car to swinging a tennis racket. Neurons are not the only ones who implement this learning, but a new study from The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT shows that astrocytes play an important role as well.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 14 Mar 2023

A reliable way to downregulate gene translation in plants

By carefully constructing upstream open reading frames (uORFs), Caixia Gao’s team at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has created a new technique for downregulating gene translation to a predictable and desirable level in plants.

10 Mar 2023

Study identifies previously unknown cell types that drive the onset of osteoarthritis

A Michigan Medicine study has identified a new potential target for treating osteoarthritis – a debilitating joint disease that affects over 31 million Americans and is a leading cause of disability worldwide.

10 Mar 2023

Novel protein complex plays a significant role in RNA protection

Two proteins help in protecting and stabilizing RNA as it travels through the cell carrying muscle-forming code. Studying this RNA-stabilizing complex further may have ramifications for muscle recovery and disease treatment.

10 Mar 2023

Study shows link between a mitochondrial metabolite and activation of inflammatory response

A new study shows for the first time a connection between a mitochondrial metabolite and the activation of an inflammatory response.

9 Mar 2023

Study pinpoints a splicing deregulation that causes therapeutic vulnerability in pediatric AML

Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia or pAML is a childhood blood cancer, one that has proved confounding to clinicians and researchers, with a high relapse rate and relatively few identified genetic mutations (compared to the adult version) that might explain its cause.

8 Mar 2023

RNA News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 infection hijacks and damages parts of infected cells' vital RNA machinery

New nanoparticles can perform gene editing in the lungs, paving the way for inhalable therapies

Meta-scale approach to quantifying the protein variants in the human body

New breakthrough in controlling plant responses to temperature

Blunted inflammatory response in obese individuals responsible for susceptibility to severe COVID-19

Revealing how hematopoietic stem cells acquire malignant traits in cancer

Blunted inflammatory response could make obese patients more susceptible to severe COVID-19

DNA drugs help restore the normal processing of protein-encoding RNA

Delaying paralysis in ALS by using designer DNA drug

Using a programmable control switch to deliver therapeutic RNA molecules to target cells

Highly sensitive bioluminescent platform for nucleic acid detection

Highlighting a potential sex‐specific precision immunotherapy strategy

High correlation between the product of a gene in the majority of cancers

Rice biologists embark on a three-year project to create genetically encoded antibiotics

Significance of astrocyte–neuron interactions in fine-tuning brain function

A reliable way to downregulate gene translation in plants

Study identifies previously unknown cell types that drive the onset of osteoarthritis

Novel protein complex plays a significant role in RNA protection

Study shows link between a mitochondrial metabolite and activation of inflammatory response

Study pinpoints a splicing deregulation that causes therapeutic vulnerability in pediatric AML

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