In this study, Chen’s group discovered the unexpected mRNA-derived telomerase RNA in the model fungal organism Ustilago maydis, or corn smut. The discovery of dual-function mRNA biogenesis in this work might lead to innovative ways of making future mRNA vaccines. This new approach has advantages over DNA vaccines, which run the potential risk of being deleteriously and permanently incorporated into our DNA. In these vaccines, the mRNA molecules are eventually degraded and then absorbed by our bodies. For example, several COVID-19 vaccines use messenger RNA as a means to produce viral spike proteins. "This important research could provide a handle towards control of DNA damage and deliver alternative routes for a longer and more healthy life.”īasic research on the metabolism and regulation of mRNA has led to important medical applications. “This work provides new insights in controlling immortality of cancer and stem cells and provides new pathways for biogenesis of important noncoding RNA components necessary for the activity of telomerase," explains Professor Tijana Rajh, director of the School of Molecular Sciences. The central dogma of molecular biology showing what happens in this study. “We will need to do a lot more research to understand the underlying mechanism of such an unusual RNA biogenesis pathway.” Most RNA molecules are synthesized independently, and here we uncovered a dual-function mRNA that can be used to produce a protein or to make a noncoding telomerase RNA, which is really unique,” said Chen. “Our finding from this paper is paradigm-shifting. In this study, Chen’s group shows that a fungal telomerase RNA is processed from a protein-coding mRNA, instead of being synthesized independently. Telomerase is crucial for cellular immortality in cancer and stem cells. Telomerase RNA is one of the noncoding RNAs that assembles along with telomerase proteins to form the enzyme telomerase.
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“About 70% of the human genome is used to make noncoding RNAs that don’t code for protein sequences but have other uses.”
“Actually, there are many RNAs (ribonucleic acids) that are not used to make proteins,” explained Chen. (From left) Professor Julian Chen and his collaborators from the School of Molecular Sciences, Dhenugen Logeswaran and Khadiza Akhter. Messenger RNA acts as the messenger to build proteins. Messenger RNA molecules carry the genetic information from the DNA in the nucleus of the cell to the cytoplasm where the proteins are made. The central dogma of molecular biology specifies the order in which genetic information is transferred from DNA to make proteins. For the very first time, a study - led by Julian Chen and his group in Arizona State University’s School of Molecular Sciences and the Biodesign Institute’s Center for the Mechanism of Evolution - has discovered an unprecedented pathway producing telomerase RNA from a protein-coding messenger RNA (mRNA).
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