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News tagged with rna

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

Researchers find controlling element of Huntington's disease

A three molecule complex may be a target for treating Huntington's disease, a genetic disorder affecting the brain. This finding by an international research team including scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 26, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Foot soldiers of the immune system: IFIT antiviral protein recognizes foreign RNA and blocks viral infections

Researchers at McGill University and the Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have discovered the molecular blueprint behind the IFIT protein. This key protein enables the human ...

Immunology created Jan 13, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers use microRNAs to induce regeneration of heart tissue

(Medical Xpress)—A research team working at Italy's International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology has succeeded in causing heart tissue to regenerate by introducing two microRNAs into damaged mice hearts. ...

Medical research created Dec 06, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast report

Scientists discover master regulator of skin development

The surface of your skin, called the epidermis, is a complex mixture of many different cell types—each with a very specific job. The production, or differentiation, of such a sophisticated tissue requires an immense amount ...

Medical research created Dec 02, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers describe elusive replication machinery of flu viruses

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have made a major advance in understanding how flu viruses replicate within infected cells. The researchers used cutting-edge molecular biology and electron-microscopy ...

Medical research created Nov 22, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Discovery advances fight against phleboviruses

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers in the Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan have discovered how a particular type of virus hides and protects its genetic information from the immune system, ...

Medical research created Nov 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists identify genetic signatures for aggressive form of prostate cancer

Scientists have discovered two separate genetic 'signatures' for prostate cancer that appear to be able to predict the severity of the disease, leading to hopes that in future, accuracy of prognosis and treatment of the disease ...

Cancer created Oct 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Dark matter DNA active in brain during day-night cycle

(Medical Xpress)—Long stretches of DNA once considered inert dark matter appear to be uniquely active in a part of the brain known to control the body's 24-hour cycle, according to researchers at the National Institutes ...

Medical research created Sep 24, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Binding sites for LIN28 protein found in thousands of human genes

A study led by researchers at the UC San Diego Stem Cell Research program and funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) looks at an important RNA binding protein called LIN28, which ...

Genetics created Sep 04, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New nanoparticles that shut off cancer genes shrink tumors in mice

By sequencing cancer-cell genomes, scientists have discovered vast numbers of genes that are mutated, deleted or copied in cancer cells. This treasure trove is a boon for researchers seeking new drug targets, but it is nearly ...

Cancer created Aug 15, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

A step forward toward muscular dystrophy treatment: 'Antisense' compound rids muscle cells of toxic RNA

Scientists have reversed symptoms of myotonic muscular dystrophy in mice by eliminating a buildup of toxic RNA in muscle cells. The work, carried out by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Isis Pharmaceuticals ...

Medical research created Aug 01, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New 'genetic bar code' technique establishes ability to derive DNA information from RNA

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a method to derive enough DNA information from non-DNA sources—such as RNA—to clearly identify individuals whose biological data are stored in massive ...

Genetics created Apr 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New powerful tool measures metabolites in living cells

By engineering cells to express a modified RNA called "Spinach," researchers have imaged small-molecule metabolites in living cells and observed how their levels change over time. Metabolites are the products of individual ...

Medical research created Mar 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists trigger muscle stem cells to divide

(Medical Xpress) -- A tiny piece of RNA plays a key role in determining when muscle stem cells from mice activate and start to divide, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding may ...

Medical research created Feb 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

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