Psicologia. Team finds stable RNA nano-scaffold within virus core. With the discovery of a RNA nano-scaffold that remains unusually stable in the body, researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have overcome another barrier to the development of therapeutic RNA nanotechnology. Peixuan Guo, PhD, Dane and Mary Louise Miller Endowed Chair and professor of biomedical engineering, and his colleagues in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences report the construction of a thermodynamically stable RNA nanoparticle online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The nanoparticle, constructed from a three-way junction (3WJ) motif of packaging RNA (pRNA) molecules, can serve as a platform for building larger, multifunctional nanoparticles, says Guo, which can then be injected into the body to deliver therapeutics to targeted cells.
"RNA nanoparticles have applications in treating cancers and viral infections," he says, "but one of the problems in the field is that RNA nanoparticles are relatively unstable. Science Magazine: Sign In. Humains. Scientist. Segal Lab: PARS 2010 - Main. The structures of RNA molecules are often important for their function and regulation, yet there are no experimental techniques for genome-scale measurement of RNA structure. Here, we describe a novel strategy termed Parallel Analysis of RNA Structure (PARS), which is based on deep sequencing fragments of RNAs that were treated with structure-specific enzymes, thus providing simultaneous in-vitro profiling of the secondary structure of thousands of RNA species at single nucleotide resolution.
We apply PARS to profile the secondary structure of the mRNAs of the budding yeast S. cerevisiae and obtain structural profiles for over 3000 distinct transcripts. SD. Physorg. Cell. RNA silencing in Monterey. + Author Affiliations ↵* Authors for correspondence (rissland@wi.mit.edu; laie@mskcc.org) The tenth annual Keystone Symposium on the Mechanism and Biology of Silencing convened in Monterey, California, in March 2011. Those seeking some West Coast sunshine were, unfortunately, met with incessant precipitation throughout the meeting. Nevertheless, attendees were brightened by enlightening and vigorous scientific discussions. Here, we summarize the results presented at the meeting, which inspire and push this expanding field into new territories. Ancient DNA From Siberia Fingers a Possible New Human Lineage -- Long chains give new life to RNA world hypothesis. NASA Researchers: DNA Building Blocks Can Be Made in Space. NASA Researchers: DNA Building Blocks Can Be Made in Space NASA-funded researchers have evidence that some building blocks of DNA, the molecule that carries the genetic instructions for life, found in meteorites were likely created in space.
The research gives support to the theory that a "kit" of ready-made parts created in space and delivered to Earth by meteorite and comet impacts assisted the origin of life. "People have been discovering components of DNA in meteorites since the 1960's, but researchers were unsure whether they were really created in space or if instead they came from contamination by terrestrial life," said Dr. Michael Callahan of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that the chemistry inside asteroids and comets is capable of making building blocks of essential biological molecules. Meteorites contain a large variety of nucleobases, an essential building block of DNA. The team includes Callahan and Drs.