Information is one of the first words that comes up whenever people try to define life. Any living system must be able to store information and pass them on to the next generation. The stored information are instructions used to build the structures and functions necessary for cellular life to operate such as metabolism, membranes, … Continue reading Origin of protein translation: a factory that built itself
Nucleic acids and proteins are the backbone of most biological processes within the cell. The flow of information from DNA to messenger RNA (mRNA) and then to proteins defines the central dogma of molecular biology. Transcription involves generating mRNA from a DNA sequence, transferring information from one nucleic acid molecule to another. The subsequent step, … Continue reading Non-Canonical Roles of tRNA: tRNAs in the Dynamic Soup of the Cell
RNA biology has won two consecutive Nobel Prizes in 2023 and 2024. Along with other groundbreaking discoveries, these Nobel Prize-winning advancements in RNA biology have significantly impacted the field of molecular biology and continue to challenge some of our central ideas about life and gene regulation. One of the best examples supporting this notion is … Continue reading The Evolution of the Central Dogma: Insights from RNA Biology
Transcription regulation lets an organism "pull out" from its genome what it needs when it needs it and "put it back" until it’s needed again. However, some organisms prefer to “keep” everything in front of them and use it on the spot. They essentially transcribe everything at once, with some differences that we’ll discuss later, … Continue reading Breaking the Mold: Exploring Polycistronic Transcription in Eukaryotes
If you put any cell under the microscopy, with some fluorescent proteins and RNAs, you will see it light up with mesmerizing constellations. Just like oil droplets in water, they find each other forming a sort of mini environment amid all the crowded cellular space. A long standing problem in the field of cell biology … Continue reading Biomolecular condensates: more than just a phase
Macromolecules' stability governs and affects most cellular processes, well-being, and the life cycle. Beyond the cellular level, it plays a key role in development, physiological responses, and homeostasis. The two sister nucleic acids, RNA and DNA, share many similarities, but they differ greatly in their respective half-lives. DNA is an extremely stable molecule that can … Continue reading RNA Stability: From Transient Messengers to Resilient Architects
RNA biology and biochemistry studies have become a hotspot in basic and translational research. This is because RNA is not only a bridge between the genetic code and proteins, but it is also a key regulator of gene expression at multiple levels. Being that a key regulator makes various types of RNA molecules responsible for … Continue reading RNA 3D Structure Prediction: Importance, Challenges, and Advances
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