Science, Space and Technology News 2024
One of the first-ever images of the intermediate complexes that form when RNA polymerase encounters DNA. Credit: Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics at The Rockefeller Universityto initiate transcription, captured in milliseconds using advanced microscopy techniques. This breakthrough provides new insights into the mechanisms regulating gene expression, helping resolve long-standing debates in the field.
The findings, captured within 500 milliseconds of RNAP mixing with DNA, shed light on fundamental mechanisms of transcription, and answer long-standing questions about the initiation mechanism and the importance of its various steps. “This is the first time anybody has been able to capture transient transcription complexes as they form in real-time,” says first author Ruth Saecker, a research specialist in Seth Darst‘s laboratory at Rockefeller.
For the first time, a clear picture of the structural changes and intermediates that form during the initial stages of RNA polymerase binding to DNA snapped into focus. “The technology was extremely important to this experiment,” Saecker says. “Without the ability to mix DNA and RNAP quickly and capture an image of it in real time, these results don’t exist.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Researchers capture detailed picture of electron acceleration in one shotAdjusting experimental methods achieved the first 'single-shot' diagnosis of electron acceleration through a laser wakefield accelerator along a curved trajectory, according to a recent study led by University of Michigan researchers. The findings are published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Read more »
Researchers capture never-before-seen view of gene transcriptionEvery living cell transcribes DNA into RNA. This process begins when an enzyme called RNA polymerase (RNAP) clamps onto DNA. Within a few hundred milliseconds, the DNA double helix unwinds to form a node known as the transcription bubble, so that one exposed DNA strand can be copied into a complementary RNA strand.
Read more »
Researchers capture never-before-seen view of gene transcriptionNew tech reveals findings that address long-standing theories about how bacteria begin the process of making RNA from DNA.
Read more »
Researchers harvest acid from seawater to feed beneficial algaeFrom the air you breathe to the seafood you eat, marine algae have some involvement—they consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis and feed fish and shellfish. One day, marine algae could also be used to make widely available eco-friendly plastics or fuel.
Read more »
Researchers map genome of the last living wild horse speciesUniversity of Minnesota researchers have successfully mapped the complete genome of the endangered Przewalski's horse. Once extinct in the wild, the species now has a population of around 2,000 animals thanks to conservation efforts.
Read more »
Researchers reveal novel mechanism of enhanced P450 demethylase activity through engineered key gating residuesA crucial step in the degradation and utilization of lignin is the process of O-demethylation of lignin monomers, facilitated by O-demethylases. Current O-demethylases face challenges such as limited substrate specificity, unclear reaction mechanisms, and a lack of reductase chaperones.
Read more »