Consider this a scientific NEWS FLASH. Today in the journal Science, a very big claim was put forth about the central dogma of molecular biology. It has been accepted for a long time that the DNA that encodes genes is transcribed into RNA, and that RNA is read out into proteins. Occasionally, RNA can be read back into DNA, but other than that, this is the accepted order of, well, everything.  The just-released research found that in human cells, there are quite a lot of RNA messages floating around (and proteins made from them) that don’t match the sequence of their DNA. The exact copying of RNA, while there is no specific reason it has to be that way, has been something that people have found no reason to doubt. Until now. Specifically, the team from the University of Pennsylvania found that in almost a third of the genes in the samples studied, comprising over 10,000 examples, there were “RNA-DNA Differences” (RDDs). Some of the RDDs could have arisen from known RNA-editing enzymes, which have been known to exist for a while, but this doesn’t explain all of them. They also went to great care to make sure the techniques they used to sequence them weren’t to blame for the differences. Most importantly, the errors weren’t random … they were shared among different people studied, of all ages and backgrounds. So the bottom line? Until we have reason to doubt their results, it appears that some mysterious process is causing these RDDs and providing an extra means for variation in proteins that could cause disease or just act slightly differently. If you thought the genome was complicated, looks like the transcriptome just opened Pandora’s box. Here’s the paper (subsp. required, prolly). And Nature has a nice, long, detailed analysis. More to come as it develops … (photo via flickr)
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Consider this a scientific NEWS FLASH.

Today in the journal Science, a very big claim was put forth about the central dogma of molecular biology. It has been accepted for a long time that the DNA that encodes genes is transcribed into RNA, and that RNA is read out into proteins. Occasionally, RNA can be read back into DNA, but other than that, this is the accepted order of, well, everything. 

The just-released research found that in human cells, there are quite a lot of RNA messages floating around (and proteins made from them) that don’t match the sequence of their DNA. The exact copying of RNA, while there is no specific reason it has to be that way, has been something that people have found no reason to doubt. Until now.

Specifically, the team from the University of Pennsylvania found that in almost a third of the genes in the samples studied, comprising over 10,000 examples, there were “RNA-DNA Differences” (RDDs). Some of the RDDs could have arisen from known RNA-editing enzymes, which have been known to exist for a while, but this doesn’t explain all of them. They also went to great care to make sure the techniques they used to sequence them weren’t to blame for the differences. Most importantly, the errors weren’t random … they were shared among different people studied, of all ages and backgrounds.

So the bottom line? Until we have reason to doubt their results, it appears that some mysterious process is causing these RDDs and providing an extra means for variation in proteins that could cause disease or just act slightly differently. If you thought the genome was complicated, looks like the transcriptome just opened Pandora’s box.

Here’s the paper (subsp. required, prolly). And Nature has a nice, long, detailed analysis. More to come as it develops …

(photo via flickr)

138 Notes/ Hide

  1. restlessandcr8ive reblogged this from jtotheizzoe and added:
    central dogma of molecular biology
  2. love-me-tenderly reblogged this from sciencecenter
  3. treatmyheart reblogged this from sciencecenter
  4. rotiferola reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  5. justanovelty reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  6. bright3n reblogged this from skrtj and added:
    whoa.
  7. skrtj reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  8. realfakescientist reblogged this from biognosis and added:
    I’m going to read this article today! I’m excited to read it actually! This sounds phenomenal sure, but it’s to be...
  9. biognosis reblogged this from sciencecenter
  10. romantasine reblogged this from glycolysisandall
  11. sirdreamalot reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  12. yayoswife reblogged this from sciencecenter
  13. expressinfinity reblogged this from me-sexy
  14. me-sexy reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  15. dnanotes reblogged this from jtotheizzoe and added:
    Just when we think we know everything…
  16. biomedengine reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  17. skepticalorangutan reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  18. rideordiie reblogged this from glycolysisandall
  19. kyungmee reblogged this from glycolysisandall and added:
    WHAT!?! O_O If this is real… things just got a lot more complicated.
  20. kavachai reblogged this from glycolysisandall
  21. god-damn-batman reblogged this from glycolysisandall and added:
    :O
  22. glycolysisandall reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  23. spleenology reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  24. jrandomhermeneut reblogged this from johnthelutheran
  25. oubliettepostcards reblogged this from johnthelutheran
  26. johnthelutheran reblogged this from jtotheizzoe and added:
    This sounds very interesting, if...little over my head (one for @kirstyhalton?): new...
  27. tbredfor4 reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  28. ghostspast reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  29. carefulheart reblogged this from isawjennywiththedevil
  30. isawjennywiththedevil reblogged this from jtotheizzoe

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