Proteins carry out many of an organism's critical functions, and they are coded for by genes. To make a protein from a gene, a cell first needs a copy of the gene in the form of a molecule called RNA.

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have determined the three-dimensional structure of an RNA enzyme, or “ribozyme,” that carries out a fundamental reaction required to make new ...

RNAs play an integral part in all kingdoms of life and mediate critical processes from gene regulation to genomic maintenance and protein synthesis. RNAs also have an amazing diversity in structure ...

Xurong Wang, Fuxian Zhang, Rui Su, Xiaowu Li, Wenyuan Chen, Qingxiu Chen, Tao Yang, Jiawei Wang, Hongrong Liu, Qin Fang, Lingpeng Cheng Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United ...

Inosine is a nucleoside that occurs naturally in transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and is essential for proper RNA translation. It is commonly found at the wobble position of anticodons, allowing for greater ...

When RNA molecules are synthesized by cells—a critical process in the creation of proteins and other cellular functions—they typically undergo a series of "folding" events that determine their ...

RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is present in the cells of all living beings and required to synthesize proteins. A research team at the University of California, Riverside, has discovered the structure of ...

In biology, getting rid of stuff can be just as important as making it. A buildup of cells, proteins, or other molecules that are no longer needed can cause problems, so living things have evolved ...

In biology, getting rid of stuff can be just as important as making it. A buildup of cells, proteins, or other molecules that are no longer needed can cause problems, so living things have evolved ...