Biologists Characterize New Form of mRNA Regulation
In a new report in the journal The Plant Cell, a team of biologists led by Assistant Professor Brian Gregory and graduate student Lee E. Vandivier used material from both humans and plants to examine chemical modifications to messenger RNA, or mRNA. They found that the modifications appear to play a significant role in the process by which mRNAs either survive and become translated into protein or are targeted for degradation.
Their analyses also revealed that mRNAs that encode proteins involved in responses to stress were more likely than other mRNA molecules to be modified, a hint that the modifications may provide a mechanism by which organisms can respond dynamically at the post-transcriptional level when confronted with changes to their environment.
The study used a technique that Gregory devised with Li-San Wang from Penn's Perelman School of Medicine. Called HAMR, for high-throughput annotation of modified ribonucleotides, the approach allows for the identification of nucleotides in RNA molecules that have been modified after being transcribed from DNA.
“This study is a great example of how important computer-aided analysis are in the biological sciences,” said Gregory. “Technology is really driving where we can go with science these days.”
The research team also included Rafael Campos and Ian M. Silverman from the Gregory lab and Pavel P. Kuksa from the Perelman School of Medicine. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
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