ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

---

• Computer assisted design (CAD) for RNA
• Built-in 'self-destruct timer' causes ultimate death of messenger RNA in cells
• Long intervening non-coding RNAs play pivotal roles in brain development
• Transcriptional elongation control takes on new dimensions as researchers find gene class-specific elongation factors
• Possible cure for leukemia found in fish oil

Computer assisted design (CAD) for RNA Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:24 AM PST Researchers have developed computer assisted design-type tools for engineering RNA components to control genetic expression in microbes. This holds enormous potential for microbial-based production of advanced biofuels, biodegradable plastics, therapeutic drugs and a host of other goods now derived from petrochemicals.

Built-in 'self-destruct timer' causes ultimate death of messenger RNA in cells Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:34 AM PST Researchers 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.

Long intervening non-coding RNAs play pivotal roles in brain development Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:33 AM PST Scientists have identified conserved, long intervening non-coding RNAs that play key roles during brain development in zebrafish, and went on to show that the human versions of these RNAs can substitute for the zebrafish lincRNAs. Until now, lincRNAs have been studied primarily in cell lines rather than at the organismal level, which has precluded research into how lincRNAs affect growth and development.

Transcriptional elongation control takes on new dimensions as researchers find gene class-specific elongation factors Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:33 AM PST Life is complicated enough, so you can forgive the pioneers of DNA biology for glossing over transcriptional elongation control by RNA polymerase II, the quick and seemingly bulletproof penultimate step in the process that copies the information encoded in our DNA into protein-making instructions carried by messenger RNA. Researchers now not only add a new layer, but a whole new dimension to transcriptional elongation control with evidence that for each class of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II (Pol II), there exists a specific class of elongation factors.

Possible cure for leukemia found in fish oil Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:31 AM PST A compound produced from fish oil that appears to target leukemia stem cells could lead to a cure for the disease, according to researchers.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610