Junk DNA: goodbye!: RNA many new uses (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, July 02, 2020, 22:45 (1386 days ago) @ David Turell

It is very active in many processes:

https://evolutionnews.org/2020/06/in-new-research-rna-takes-center-stage/

"Long thought to be a mere template for transcription and translation of DNA with the names messenger RNA (mRNA) and transfer RNA (tRNA), RNA with its more transient lifetime serves many other functions that have been coming to light in the 21st century. New terms are being added to the vocabulary of epigenetics: among them, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), dietary RNA, and extracellular RNA (exRNA).

***

"RNA is not only a linear copy of the genetic information, but often folds into complex structures. The combination of single-stranded and partially folded double-stranded regions is of central importance for the function and stability of RNAs. “If we want to learn something about RNAs, we must also understand their structure,” says Franz Narberhaus.

***

"The regulatory functions of miRNAs usually take place in the cytoplasm, where they interact with target RNA transcripts to inhibit their translation into protein or promote their decay...By investigating a miRNA named miR-126-5p, Weber’s team demonstrates that this molecule can unexpectedly be transferred into the cell nucleus and, by simply interacting with it, suppresses the activity of an enzyme, named caspase-3, which is responsible for killing the cell by programmed cell death. In this way, the molecule protects vascular integrity and reduces the extent of atherosclerotic lesions.

***

" So fascinating is this new concept of “extracellular RNA” (exRNA), Nature devoted a special issue to the subject. Herb Brody writes,

The molecule best known for its part in translating genetic code into protein-assembly instructions is finding a new role in medicine. RNA, once thought to exist only in cells, is now known to travel to tissues all over the body through the blood, under the protection of tiny lipid sacs known as extracellular vesicles. The study of this extracellular RNA (exRNA) has led to a quiet revolution in biology, as scientists endeavour to understand why cells release RNA, and how the molecules might be used to improve the detection and treatment of disease.

"Micro-RNA (miRNA), “Once overlooked as genetic junk,” (my bold) is proving its worth in many ways. “By attaching to matching strands of messenger RNA, which is involved in protein synthesis, miRNA can effectively turn mRNA off and on, and alter what proteins are made,” Nguyen adds. In the case of mother’s milk, one researcher started asking the right questions:

"Bo Lönnerdal, a biochemist at the University of California, Davis, has spent decades studying the bioactive components of breast milk. When Lönnerdal learnt that researchers had found miRNAs in breast milk, he remembers wondering what the molecules were doing there. There must be a reason why these seemingly random bits of RNA are present in milk, he recalls thinking.

"He wondered if the miRNAs provided nutrition, or were regulating some other substance. It’s a tedious process to solve — 1,400 miRNA’s have been identified in breast milk — but so far, it appears that these packages of code do regulate genes within the baby, perhaps tuning immune responses or speeding up rates of development for pre-term babies.

***

"The body’s tissues routinely communicate with each other through RNA messages sent back and forth between cells. So, it seemed obvious to scientists that, by eavesdropping on these extracellular communiqués carried in blood, saliva, urine and other fluids, they should be able to intercept dispatches indicative of health and disease.

***

"Evolutionists have already failed this burgeoning field by relegating RNAs they didn’t understand to the “genetic junk” bin. And ever since, after all these years of discovery, all they can do is speculate about what “might have evolutionary underpinnings.” This is a great time for design advocates to read the messages in RNA and find out what they are saying." (my bold)

Comment: A typical ID article pointing out how the research in RNA has opened a huge field for new discoveries. As the last paragraph sows, ID design experts will have different interpretations of the 'facts'.