Two evolutionary strategies allow the antiviral protein MxA to evolve simultaneous super-restriction against multiple viruses.

Protein-RNA interactions govern nearly every aspect of RNA metabolism and are frequently dysregulated in disease. While individual protein residues and RNA nucleotides critical for these interactions ...

Using high-throughput functional profiling, how disordered regions control mRNA stability and translation is explored.

The stability and function of biomolecules are directly influenced by their myriad interactions with water1–16. In this study, we investigated water through cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) on a highly solvated molecule, the Tetrahymena ribozyme, determined at 2.2 and 2.3 Å resolutions. By employing segmentation-guided water and ion modeling (SWIM)17,18, an approach combining resolvability and chemical parameters, we automatically modeled and cross-validated water molecules and Mg2+ ions in the ribozyme core, revealing the extensive involvement of water in mediating RNA non-canonical interactions. Unexpectedly, in regions where SWIM does not model ordered water, we observed highly similar densities in both cryo-EM maps. In many of these regions, the cryo-EM densities superimpose with complex water networks predicted by molecular dynamics (MD), supporting their assignment as water and suggesting a biophysical explanation for their elusiveness to conventional atomic coordinate mod

Subcellular RNA organization can affect critical cellular functions. However, our understanding of RNA microenvironments, particularly biomolecular condensates, remains limited, largely due to a lack ...

Soles et al. demonstrate that the combination of a 5′ splice site and a poly(A) junction constitutes a nuclear RNA degradation code that targets RNAs for degradation by the PAXT adaptor and the RNA ex...

Alphaviruses optimize viral polymerase production and polyprotein processing at distinct temperatures via a premature stop codon.

Transcription inhibitors also disrupt nuclear export. Here, Williams et al. reveal that mRNA export factors sense transcription inhibition and adapt by storing mature export-competent mRNA in nuclear speckles. This enables rapid release when transcription resumes and ensures retention of cellular identity and viability during a transient global transcription insult.

Upon intramuscular administration, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are primarily taken up by macrophages, in which the cellular machinery extends their poly(A) tails, thereby increasing mRNA stability and tran...

A study by researchers at Fred Hutch Cancer Center published in Nature revises the standard story about transcription factors binding close to the genes they regulate. That is true only for a small su...

Abstract. Initiation of transcription requires the formation of the “open” promoter complex (RPo). For this, the σ subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase (RNA

Growing up, Dr. Melody Campbell, 38, was part of the Campbell Quartet.

Kuzuoglu-Ozturk et al. showcase a therapeutic approach, “translatome therapy,” to combat lethal prostate cancer. Zotatifin, a clinical molecule, targets the RNA-helicase eIF4A. Zotatifin decreases the...

A near-complete survey of transcription factor activities in Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveals that most transcription factors have both activator and repressor activities and limited overlap between t...

A monthly journal publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research on all topics related to RNA and its metabolism in all organisms

Experiments and computations show that the organization and dynamics of molecules within and at interfaces of biomolecular condensates are governed by differential interaction strengths leading to the...

The integrated stress response (ISR) is a central signaling network that enables eukaryotic cells to respond to a variety of different environmenta...

Cancer cells frequently enhance ribosome production to support rapid growth. Here, Lee et al. demonstrate that an isoform of lncRNA CRNDE containing an ultraconserved element (CRNDEUCE) promotes 60S r...

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest class of integral membrane receptors and responsible for transmitting diverse signals in response to extracellular stimuli. Post-translational modif...

A new lasso peptide antibiotic exhibits broad-spectrum activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria by interfering with bacterial protein synthesis, is unaffected by common resistanc...

Mitotic fidelity depends on proper chromosome alignment at the spindle equator, a process known as chromosome congression, driven by well-established protein networks. Whereas RNA-binding proteins and...

Antibodies capable of neutralizing many strains of HIV are being explored as prophylactic and therapeutic agents, but viral escape mutations pose a major challenge. Efforts have been made to experimen...

Many new small RNA species and their derived fragments have been recently identified in animals. This Review discusses the biogenesis and functions of both structural small RNAs, such as tRNAs and sma...

Bernhard et al. reveal the architecture of the tetrameric Trypanosoma brucei nuclear cap-binding complex. Using cryo-electron microscopy and biochemical assays, the researchers characterize its bindin...

RNA splicing enables the functional adaptation of cells to changing contexts. Impaired splicing has been associated with diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa, but the underlying molecular mechanis...

Structure of the Toxoplasma mitoribosome made of >50 short rRNA molecules reveals evolutionary solutions to rRNA fragmentation: addition of poly A tails to rRNAs, reused rRNA sequences, and repurpo...

In bacteria, spontaneous mRNAs degradation and ribotoxin-induced RNA damage are two main biological events that lead to the stall of protein translation. The ubiquitous trans-translation system as wel...

Recent sequencing-based methods, including novel ribosome profiling, ribosome affinity purification and spatial translation methods, have enabled the measurement of translation at single-cell resoluti...

Inhibitors of protein synthesis, including anisomycin, homoharringtonine, and other natural products bind in the peptidyl-transferase center (PTC) of the eukaryotic ribosome to inhibit translation. Re...

The spread of viral genomes into adjacent cells and the plant vascular system is enabled by viral movement proteins. This study shows that umbravirus-like RNA viruses can spread systemically without e...

Determining structures of small, protein-free RNAs by cryo-EM has been challenging. Here, the authors use a group II intron scaffold to achieve high-resolution RNA structures, visualize ligand-induced...

Direct RNA sequencing (DRS) enables systematic profiling of RNA modifications at an unprecedented resolution. Here, Diensthuber and Novoa review key efforts made to date pioneering the use of DRS for ...