Scientists at IOCB Prague are uncovering new details of gene transcription. They have identified a previously unknown molecular mechanism by which the transcription of genetic information from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) into ribonucleic acid (RNA) can be initiated. The researchers focused on a specific class of molecules known as alarmones, which are found in cells across a wide range of organisms and whose levels often increase under conditions of cellular stress. The results were published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Chemical Biology.
Molecules of ribonucleic acid can carry a variety of chemical modifications at one end, known as caps. In eukaryotic organisms, including human cells, the best-known cap plays an important role in RNA…