A publication the Chuan He's lab has been selected as one of Nature Magazine's "Top 25 Life and Biological Sciences Articles of 2024."
The study, "IGF2BP3 promotes mRNA degradation through internal m7G modification," published in Nature Communications (August 2024), reveals a new way cells control the production of proteins.
When initial genetic instructions are copied into RNA "messenger" molecules, there's a crucial stage called "post-transcriptional" control where these molecules prepare to produce proteins.
Researchers found that during this process a protein named IGF2BP3 can identify a specific chemical tag, N7-methylguanosine (m7G), within these RNA messengers. When IGF2BP3 identifies then binds to this tag, it triggers the breakdown of the messenger RNA.
This discovery reveals a previously unknown pathway for precisely regulating gene activity.
The acknowledgment by Nature underscores the He lab's significant contributions to the understanding of RNA biology and the complex ways cells manage protein production.