Messenger RNA Self-destruct Mechanism Revealed

[TECH NEWS]

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University (NYC) have discovered the first known mechanism by which cells control the survival of messenger RNA (mRNA)—arguably biology’s most important molecule. The findings pertain to mRNAs that help regulate cell division and could therefore have implications for reversing cancer’s out-of-control cell division. The research is described in today’s online edition of the journal Cell. Robert Singer, Ph.D.“The fate of the mRNA molecules we studied resembles a Greek tragedy,” said the study’s senior author, Robert Singer, Ph.D. “Their lifespans are determined at the moment of their birth.” The study was carried out in yeast cells using advanced microscope technology developed previously by Dr. Singer that has allowed scientists, for the first time, to observe single molecules in single cells in real time.

Dec 22, 2011, Albert Einstein College of Medicine