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Newly described type of immune cell and T cells share similar path to maturity, according to new study

(Medical Xpress)—Labs around the world, and a core group at Penn, have been studying recently described populations of immune cells called innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). Some researchers liken them to foot soldiers that ...

Immunology created May 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Genetic 'fine tuners' control body's own attack against cancer

(Medical Xpress)—The body's own immune system's fight against breast cancer is controlled by genetic 'fine tuners', known as microRNAs, according to a study published in Nature today.

Cancer created May 06, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Researchers decode a kind of trigger switch for the conversion of fat cells

For a long time, scientists have dreamed of converting undesirable white fat cells into brown fat cells and thus simply have excess pounds melt away. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now gotten ...

Medical research created Apr 23, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists create novel approach to find RNAs involved in long-term memory storage

(Phys.org) —Despite decades of research, relatively little is known about the identity of RNA molecules that are transported as part of the molecular process underpinning learning and memory. Now, working together, scientists ...

Medical research created Apr 25, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

'Dark genome' is involved 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 ...

Genetics created May 02, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Recent studies warn surveillance of bird flu strains is needed

(Medical Xpress)—Recent scientific papers from China suggest a vigilant watch should be kept on the development of bird flu viruses, as a new strain has been identified and previously known viruses have ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 03, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast report

Discovery of gene involved in fatty liver disease

An international research consortium led by CIC bioGUNE has discovered the involvement of a gene in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although the gene concerned (SLC2A1) had never previously been ...

Genetics created Apr 24, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Structure that edits messenger RNA transcripts defective in two different forms of motor neuron diseases

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are degenerative motor neuron diseases in which the key mutated genes are involved in RNA metabolism. This similarity suggests that a ...

Medical research created Apr 26, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Connection between faulty neural activation and schizophrenia revealed

(Medical Xpress)—By studying what happens in the normal brain when neurons fire, Australian scientists have been able to identify a finely and dynamically regulated process. They also describe how dysfunction of this process ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 02, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

What role do processing bodies play in cell survival and protection against viral infection?

As scientists learn more about processing bodies (PBs), granules present within normal cells, they are unraveling the complex role PBs play in maintaining cellular homeostasis by regulating RNA metabolism ...

Medical research created May 16, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

RNA

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. RNA is very similar to DNA, but differs in a few important structural details: in the cell, RNA is usually single-stranded, while DNA is usually double-stranded; RNA nucleotides contain ribose while DNA contains deoxyribose (a type of ribose that lacks one oxygen atom); and RNA has the base uracil rather than thymine that is present in DNA.

RNA is transcribed from DNA by enzymes called RNA polymerases and is generally further processed by other enzymes. RNA is central to the synthesis of proteins. Here, a type of RNA called messenger RNA carries information from DNA to structures called ribosomes. These ribosomes are made from proteins and ribosomal RNAs, which come together to form a molecular machine that can read messenger RNAs and translate the information they carry into proteins. There are many RNAs with other roles – in particular regulating which genes are expressed, but also as the genomes of most viruses.

For more information about RNA, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Related topics: dna , genes , protein , gene expression , cells