Eye On DNA RNA?

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 18, 2007 in DNA in General

The June 16th issue of The Economist focuses on our growing understanding of RNA’s importance in molecular biology. Articles include:

• Biology’s Big Bang: What physics was to the 20th century, biology will be to the 21st – and RNA will be a vital part of it
• Really New Advances: Molecular biology is undergoing its biggest shake-up in 50 years, as a hitherto little-regarded chemical called RNA acquires an unsuspected significance
• Little Hopes: New classes of drugs that exploit the new RNAs are in development

Because I just finished Introducing Darwin by Jonathan Miller and Borin Van Loon, I found the discussion about Lamarckism in the Really New Advances article particularly interesting. As it turns out, RNA may exert epigenetic effects that regulate gene expression and because RNA responds to the environment and can be inherited independently of DNA, Lamarck’s theory that characteristics developed during a person’s lifetime can be passed from one generation to the next may not be so farfetched. This means that we may inherit not only the DNA from our parents’ genomes but also any physical developments they may have experienced up to the time we were conceived.

It’s not just DNA anymore.

NB: Learn more about RNA epigenetics from Dr. Greg Hannon of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory who gave a presentation at The National Academies in 2003 – listen and see the slides.

HT: Sara

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, rna, epigenetics, genome, genomics, molecular biology, lamarck, darwin

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2 Comments

Comment by David Bradley

2007-06-18 20:22:33

Yep, forget DNA, RNA is where it’s at. What a difference an oxy makes, ey?

db

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Comment by Hsien

2007-06-19 20:54:11

You darn chemists!

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