A dogma in biology states that RNA that have fewer than 16 nucleotides are redundant and just 'cellular waste.' Rather, a dogma stated that RNA that have fewer than 16 nucleotides are redundant and just 'cellular waste.' That's right, a research team in the CHU de Quebec- Université Lavale has just stumbled upon an interesting discovery which adds life to those little bits of RNA that were once thought to be, well, useless.
But that thanks to a handling error, the team realised that RNAs could be much shorter than ever reported. In fact, using a modified RNA sequencing approach, the team found that they are extremely abundant in the cell. They named these shorter RNA sequences dodecaRNA or doRNA for short.
There are 2 variants, one with 12 nucleotides and the other with 13. The fact that they are so uniform and the way they accumulate prompted the researchers to believe that they are not produced randomly. That inurn formed a pathway for their research and 2 main functions were found.
Firstly, they demonstrated that the RNA can assist in cell migration. Cell migration is the directed movement of a cell or a group of cells as a response to mechanical or chemical signal. During the developmental stages of an embryo, this is a fundamental process that allows for various morphogenetic events such as gastrulation. It is also important for maintaining tissue health and homeostasis. The other function of the newly discovered RNA is involved in a prostate cancer gene.
The researchers believe that the doRNA have fare more functions simply because of how numerous they are. This is the path that they are now following. The implications of the research itself is great: there are possibilities of using the dodecaRNA to modulate the gene expression to control certain genetic diseases.
While the scientists progress with their research, you can read the full paper in the link attached below.
Article:
Lambert M, Benmoussa A, Diallo I, Ouellet-Boutin K, Dorval V, Majeau N, Joly-Beauparlant C, Droit A, Bergeron A, Têtu B, Fradet Y, Pouliot F, Provost P. Identification of Abundant and Functional dodecaRNAs (doRNAs) Derived from Ribosomal RNA. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(18):9757. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22189757
Image:
https://www.labiotech.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/RNA-therapy.jpg
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