Tag: RNA

Comparative Genomics and the Boundaries of Molecular Rules

~ Fadel Fakih ~ Leave a comment

The evolution of life on Earth is a history of countless successes and failures. The variations arise through chance, but within physical, chemical, and biological organization and limitations. Natural selection acts on these variations, retaining forms that remain functionally viable, while many other variations persist through neutral evolution, shaped not by adaptive advantages but by … Continue reading Comparative Genomics and the Boundaries of Molecular Rules

DRT3 and the Creativity of Molecular Biology

~ Fadel Fakih ~ Leave a comment

A recent Science paper described an extremely strange antiphage reverse transcriptase system, DRT3. DRT3 is made up of two RT-like proteins, DRT3a and DRT3b, and a non-coding RNA. These assemble into a large ribonucleoprotein complex with six copies of each component. Functionally, the two RTs make opposite strands of an alternating dinucleotide DNA repeat. DRT3a … Continue reading DRT3 and the Creativity of Molecular Biology

The 4-bp anticodon stem tRNA: an anarchist of the genetic code

~ Fadel Fakih ~ Leave a comment

In our genetics 101, we often learn that the genetic code is a strict dictionary. But biology, as we know it, is the wonderland of exceptions. In fact, the genetic code can only be called “nearly universal”, since up to 60 deviations have been described so far (Lukes et al. Curr. Biol., 2025). Departures sometimes … Continue reading The 4-bp anticodon stem tRNA: an anarchist of the genetic code

Why evolution needs noise: in the light of QT45 ribozyme

~ Fadel Fakih ~ Leave a comment

A violet amethyst crystal, while beautiful on the outside, is a highly ordered structure at the microscopic level, and therefore cannot evolve. In contrast, a gas is highly random and cannot store any form of structure or information. Life sits right there in the middle, a highly structured and complex system with a tolerated degree … Continue reading Why evolution needs noise: in the light of QT45 ribozyme

Origin of protein translation: a factory that built itself

~ Fadel Fakih ~ Leave a comment

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

Non-Canonical Roles of tRNA: tRNAs in the Dynamic Soup of the Cell

~ Fadel Fakih ~ Leave a comment

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