Investigators at Hebrew University zero in on gene therapy
2008 JAN 17 -- According to a study from Jerusalem, Israel, "The importance of post-transcriptional regulation by small non-coding RNAs has recently been recognized in both pro-and eukaryotes. Small RNAs (sRNAs) regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally by base pairing with the mRNA." "Here we use dynamical simulations to characterize this regulation mode in comparison to transcriptional regulation mediated by protein-DNA interaction and to post-translational regulation achieved by protein-protein interaction. We show quantitatively that regulation by sRNA is advantageous when fast responses to external signals are needed, consistent with experimental data about its involvement in stress responses. Our analysis indicates that the half-life of the sRNA-mRNA complex and the ratio of their production rates determine the steady-state level of the target protein, suggesting that regulation by sRNA may provide fine-tuning of gene expression. We also describe the network of regulation by sRNA in Escherichia coli, and integrate it with the transcription regulation network, uncovering mixed regulatory circuits, such as mixed feed-forward loops," wrote Y. Shimoni and colleagues, Hebrew University. The researchers concluded: "The integration of sRNAs in feed-forward loops provides tight repression, guaranteed by the combination of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations." Shimoni and colleagues published the results of their research in Molecular Systems Biology (Regulation of gene expression by small non-coding RNAs: a quantitative view. Molecular Systems Biology, 2007;3():138). For additional information, contact O. Biham, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Racah Institute Physics, IL-91904 Jerusalem, Israel. The publisher of the journal Molecular Systems Biology can be contacted at: Nature Publishing Group, 75 Varick Street, 9TH Floor, New York, NY 10013-1917, USA. Keywords: Israel, Jerusalem, Biotechnology, DNA, Gene Therapy, Medical Device, Molecular Research, Molecular Systems, Protein Interaction, Proteins, Proteomics, RNA Research, RNA Transcription, Hebrew University. This article was prepared by Gene Therapy Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2008, Gene Therapy Weekly via NewsRx.com.
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