Physical entanglement, and particularly knots arise spontaneously in equilibrated polymers that are sufficiently long and densely packed. Biopolymers are no exceptions: knots have long been known to occur in proteins as well as in encapsidated viral DNA. The rapidly growing number of RNA structures has recently made it possible to investigate the incidence of physical knots in this type of biomolecule, too. Strikingly, no knots have been found to date in the known RNA structures. In this Point of View Article we discuss the absence of knots in currently available RNAs and consider the reasons why knots in RNA have not yet been found, despite the expectation that they should exist in Nature. We conclude by singling out a number of RNA sequences that, based on the properties of their predicted secondary structures, are good candidates for knotted RNAs.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15476286.2015.1132069 | DOI Listing |
Acta Parasitol
January 2025
Laboratory of Morpho-Molecular Integration and Technologies, Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Belém, State of Pará, Brazil.
Purpose: This work described a new species of Ceratomyxa, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyzes of myxospores collected from the gallbladder of the fish Astyanax mexicanus.
Methods: Sixty-two specimens were captured, between December 2022 and February 2024, in the Flexal River, in the community of Tessalônica, state of Amapá. The specimens were transported alive to the Laboratory of Morphophysiology and Animal Health, at the State University of Amapá, where the studies were carried out.
Eur J Hum Genet
January 2025
CENTOGENE GmbH, Rostock, Germany.
We aimed to assess the impact of splicing variants reported in our laboratory to gain insight into their clinical relevance. A total of 108 consecutive individuals, for whom 113 splicing variants had been reported, were selected for RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), considering the gene expression in blood. A protocol was developed to perform RNA extraction and sequencing using the same sample (dried blood spots, DBS) provided for the DNA analysis, including library preparation and bioinformatic pipeline analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
While the effect of amplification-induced oncogene expression in cancer is known, the impact of copy-number gains on "bystander" genes is less understood. We create a comprehensive map of dosage compensation in cancer by integrating expression and copy number profiles from over 8000 tumors in The Cancer Genome Atlas and cell lines from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia. Additionally, we analyze 17 cancer open reading frame screens to identify genes toxic to cancer cells when overexpressed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Death Discov
January 2025
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
Methyltransferase-like 1 (METTL1)-mediated m7G modification is a common occurrence in various RNA species, including mRNAs, tRNAs, rRNAs, and miRNAs. Recent evidence suggests that this modification is linked to the development of several cancers, making it a promising target for cancer therapy. However, the specific role of m7G modification in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is not well understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethods Enzymol
January 2025
Medical University of Vienna, Center of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Schwarzspanier Strasse, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address:
Adenosine to inosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) enzymes are found in all metazoa. Their sequence and protein organization is conserved but also shows distinct differences. Moreover, the number of ADAR genes differs between organisms, ranging from one in flies to three in mammals.
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