Scientists believe it may be possible to prevent DNA changes driven by two proteins highly active in leukemia and other cancers. They recently reported a new mechanistic target for drug development.

A genome study to look for variants in a gene considered a fundamental building block for microscopic structures that synthesize proteins took a surprising twist.

RNA has already been making an impact in the context of the vaccine program, but the potential of RNA-based compounds is far from being fully tapped, as RNA allows for entirely new therapeutic approaches. Prof. Thomas Thum, Co-Institute Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, has developed a form of RNA therapy for treating heart failure, which has already been successfully tested in patients as part of a phase 1b clinical trial. Other RNA therapies are currently being developed to treat pulmonary fibrosis and other forms of organ fibrosis.

Dresden scientists find that lipids modulate RNA activity, a possible clue to origin of life and tool for synthetic biology.

EMBARGO: DO NOT PUBLISH BEFORE 12/22/2021, 5:00 PM.

Physical biology: Publication in Nature

DNAzymes are precision biocatalysts that destroy unwanted RNA molecules. However, major obstacles to their use in medicine remain. Together with Jülich Research Centre (FZJ) and the University of Bonn, a research team from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) has investigated with atomic resolution how DNAzymes work in real time. They have now presented these important fundamental findings and their application in the renowned journal “Nature”.

Researchers have discovered a nanoparticle released from cells, called a ’supermere,‘ which contains enzymes, proteins and RNA associated with multiple cancers, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and even COVID-19.

A new study has identified an RNA molecule that suppresses prostate tumors. The scientists found that prostate cancers develop ways to shut down this RNA molecule to allow themselves to grow. According to the new research — conducted in mice implanted with human prostate tumor samples — restoring this so-called long noncoding RNA could be a new strategy to treat prostate cancer that has developed resistance to hormonal therapies.

Researchers have designed a way to selectively turn on gene expression in target cells, including human cells. Their technology can detect specific mRNA sequences, which triggers production of a specific protein.

Die RNA hat viele wichtige Funktionen in unserem Körper und wird seit kurzem auch als Corona-Impfstoff genutzt. Doch das Lebensmolekül ist längst noch nicht lückenlos durchschaut. Sind zuckerhaltige RNA-Moleküle als Signalstoffe für das Immunsystem unterwegs?

Researchers have shown for the first time how mutations affecting a cellular process called RNA splicing alter cells to develop myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and other hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Researchers identified a small RNA molecule called miR-766-5p that reduces expression of MYC, a critical cancer-promoting gene. This microRNA reduces levels of proteins CBP and BRD4, which are both involved in super-enhancer (SE) formation. SEs form in areas of DNA that can fuel MYC expression and tumor progression. This study provides strong evidence for developing miR-766-5p as a novel therapeutic to treat MYC-driven cancers.

Researchers have developed a software called ModTect that can help reveal the relationships between RNA modifications and the development of diseases and disorders. Their work highlights the potential of using RNA modifications as biomarkers to test for diseases.

Messenger-RNA (mRNA) vaccines against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 provoke a swift and strong response by the immune system’s T cells — the heavy armor of the immune system, according to a new study.

A potential new treatment for mast cell cancers reduces the number of mast cells by ‚mutating‘ the messenger RNA (mRNA) before it can deliver instructions for manufacturing the gene responsible for cell proliferation. The method, known as frameshifting, changes the pre-mRNA so that the mature mRNA is degraded and any protein produced from its instructions is altered and inert. In a mouse model, frameshifting directed at the c-KIT gene reduced mast cell tumor size and prevented infiltration into other organs.

An RNA-modifying protein elevated in some aggressive cancers has been shown to be a promising target for new drug development.

HIRI and JMU Würzburg create first RNA atlas of Fusobacterium nucleatum

HIRI und JMU Würzburg erstellen ersten RNA-Atlas des Fusobacterium nucleatum

Removing a protein that is often overexpressed in a rare and aggressive subtype of leukemia can help to slow the cancer’s development and significantly increase the likelihood of survival, according to a new study in mice.

A new study highlights the power of comprehensive whole genome, whole exome and RNA sequencing to better understand and treat each patient’s cancer.

Der Magenkeim Helicobacter pylori weiß, wie er sich gegen Angriffe des Immunsystems oder durch Antibiotika schützen kann. Einem Forschungs-Team der Uni Würzburg ist es gelungen, neue Details dieser Fähigkeit zu entschlüsseln.

Certain regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome might be a suitable target for future drugs. This is what researchers at Goethe University, together with their collaborators in the international COVID-19-NMR consortium, have now discovered. With the help of dedicated substance libraries, they have identified several small molecules that bind to certain areas of the SARS-CoV-2 genome that are almost never altered by mutations.

In a study conducted with mice by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut and the Institute of Virology at the University of Freiburg, a research team under the lead of Professor Zoe Waibler demonstrated that upon infection with negative-strand RNA viruses, both the route and the dose of infection determine whether or not the production of type I interferons (IFN), is independent from their receptor, the IFN receptor (IFNAR). These results shed a new light on the previously postulated mechanism, which implied that a positive feedback loop via the IFNAR is strictly needed for robust IFN production. The new findings were published in the “Journal of General Virology” on 16. July2021.

Für Körperzellen ist es überlebenswichtig, dass sie das Eindringen von Viren erkennen, um sich vor ihnen zu schützen. Im Gegensatz zur menschlichen Zelle, deren Erbsubstanz aus Desoxyribonukleinsäure (DNA) besteht, ist der Informationsträger bei Viren oft die Ribonukleinsäure (RNA). Allerdings nutzt auch die menschliche Zelle RNA, etwa bei der Produktion von Proteinen. Daher ist es entscheidend zu erkennen, ob es sich um eigene oder „feindliche“ RNA handelt.

Scientists reveal that during hematopoietic regeneration, RNA expressed from a part of the genome considered ‚junk DNA‘ is used by hematopoietic stem cells to get activated and proliferate. The study shows that these so-called transposable elements make RNA after chemotherapy and activate an immune receptor which induces inflammatory signals enhancing hematopoietic stem cell cycling and thus participating in the regeneration of the hematopoietic system.

Stillende können sich gegen Corona impfen lassen. Eine aktuelle US-Studie bestätigt, dass die RNA aus den Impfstoffen nicht in die Muttermilch gelangt. Einzige Einschränkung: Die Zahl der Teilnehmenden war gering.