Yale scientists track longevity and multiple functions of messenger RNA

Over the past year, messenger RNA plays a key role in all functions of life and has taken center stage with the successful launch of a messenger RNA vaccine against the SARS-Cov-2 virus

In two new papers published Jan.

"It's exciting to be able to study the beginning and end of this process," said Gilbert, associate professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry

In a classic biology textbook, the cell precisely copies or transcribes the genes encoded by DNA into messenger RNAs, which then pass those instructions to the ribosome, the machinery inside the cell that makes proteins that perform almost all of the life function

Although RNA consists of only four bases, or nucleotides, its structure and function can be altered through complex biochemical interactions with other compounds

In one of the new studies, a team led by Nicole Martinez, a postdoctoral researcher in Gilbert's lab, found that pseudouridine plays a key role in the formation of mRNAs

These findings reveal the origin of diseases associated with pseudouridine variants, such as mitochondrial myopathy, digestive disorders, intellectual disability and resistance to viral infection

In a second paper, published Jan.

The ability to precisely control protein production could be immediately applied to adjust the doses of mRNA vaccines, such as those used to fight COVID, the researchers said

However, Gilbert stressed that the technology could also be applied to develop any protein-based therapy for a variety of diseases