I will cover a wide range of topics related to RNA biology from various organisms--with significance in developmental biology and applied life sciences.
Some of the topics that will be discussed are, but not limited to:
I. Core Concepts & Molecules:
- RNA (Ribonucleic Acid): The central molecule itself.
- Nucleotides: Adenine (A), Uracil (U), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C).
- Ribose: The sugar in the RNA backbone.
- Phosphate Backbone: Linking the nucleotides.
- Gene Expression: The overall process of using genetic information.
- Central Dogma: The flow of genetic information (DNA -> RNA -> Protein).
- Transcriptome: The complete set of RNA transcripts in a cell or organism at a specific time.
- Non-coding RNA (ncRNA): RNA molecules not translated into protein, often regulatory.
- Coding RNA: Primarily mRNA, which codes for proteins.
II. Major Types of RNA:
- Messenger RNA (mRNA): Carries genetic code from DNA to ribosomes for protein synthesis.
- Transfer RNA (tRNA): Delivers specific amino acids to the ribosome during translation.
- Ribosomal RNA (rRNA): Structural and catalytic component of ribosomes.
- Small nuclear RNA (snRNA): Involved in splicing (part of the spliceosome).
- Small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA): Guides chemical modifications of other RNAs (like rRNA, tRNA).
- MicroRNA (miRNA): Small ncRNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally, usually by silencing mRNA.
- Small interfering RNA (siRNA): Small ncRNAs involved in RNA interference (RNAi), often used experimentally or therapeutically to silence genes.
- Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA): Large ncRNAs with diverse regulatory functions (e.g., epigenetic regulation, scaffolding).
- Circular RNA (circRNA): Covalently closed RNA loops, often involved in regulation (e.g., miRNA sponges).
- Ribozyme: RNA molecules with catalytic activity.
III. Key Processes Involving RNA:
- Transcription: Synthesis of RNA from a DNA template (RNA Polymerase).
- RNA Processing: Modifications to RNA transcripts after transcription.
- Splicing: Removal of introns and joining of exons (Spliceosome).
- Capping: Addition of a modified guanine nucleotide to the 5' end of mRNA.
- Polyadenylation: Addition of a poly(A) tail to the 3' end of mRNA.
- RNA Editing: Alteration of nucleotide sequences within an RNA molecule.
- Translation: Synthesis of protein from an mRNA template (Ribosome, Codon, Anticodon).
- RNA Degradation/Turnover: Breakdown of RNA molecules (RNases, Exosome).
- RNA Interference (RNAi): Gene silencing pathway mediated by small RNAs (Dicer, RISC).
- Reverse Transcription: Synthesis of DNA from an RNA template (Reverse Transcriptase, Telomerase).
- RNA Transport/Localization: Movement of RNA molecules to specific cellular compartments.
IV. Structure, Modifications & Interactions:
- RNA Structure: Primary (sequence), Secondary (helices, loops, stems), Tertiary (3D folding), Quaternary (complexes).
- RNA Folding: The process by which RNA achieves its functional 3D shape.
- RNA Modifications (Epitranscriptomics): Chemical alterations to RNA bases (e.g., m6A, pseudouridine).
- RNA-Binding Proteins (RBPs): Proteins that bind to RNA and influence its processing, localization, stability, or translation.
- Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) Complex: Complexes formed by RNA and proteins (e.g., ribosome, spliceosome, telomerase, RISC).
- Riboswitch: Regulatory segments of mRNA that bind small molecules to control gene expression.
V. Research Areas & Techniques:
- Transcriptomics: Study of the transcriptome (often using RNA-Seq).
- RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq): High-throughput sequencing to quantify and analyze RNA transcripts.
- RT-PCR / qPCR: Detecting and quantifying specific RNA molecules.
- Northern Blotting: Detecting specific RNA sequences.
- In Situ Hybridization (ISH): Visualizing RNA localization within tissues or cells.
- CLIP-Seq / RIP-Seq: Identifying RNA molecules bound by specific RBPs.
- Structural Biology of RNA: Determining RNA structures (X-ray crystallography, NMR, Cryo-EM).
- Bioinformatics: Computational analysis of RNA sequence, structure, and function.
- RNA Therapeutics: Using RNA molecules as drugs (mRNA vaccines, siRNA drugs, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)).
