A barcode for shredding junk RNA
Friday, August 28, 2015 - 07:30
in Biology & Nature
A growing, dividing cell uses most of its energy store to make its "protein factories," the ribosomes. An important player in their "assembly" is the exosome, a molecular shredding machine that breaks down excess ribonucleic acid (RNA). Researchers have discovered how the exosome identifies its target RNA. The team identified a specific detection signal, comparable to a postal code or bar code that targets the exosome to the remote RNA.