Jack Szostak Lab Uncovers New Mechanisms of RNA Stability and Interaction, Paving the Way for Origins of Life Discoveries
The Jack Szostak Lab has published new research in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on how RNA strands interact in new and fascinating ways.
Led by first author, postdoc Marco Todisco, with assistance from graduate student Aleksandar Radakovic, the group found that RNA strands can pair up to form various structures, but understanding how multiple strands come together has been a challenge—until now.
Thet also found that when RNA strands stack on top of each other, they become much more stable than expected, with big differences between predicted and actual melting points. Likewise, they also discovered that an upstream RNA strand can slow down the binding of a downstream strand, but once it's bound, it stays attached much longer, adding extra stability. Finally, they determined the effect of breaks in the RNA depends on the length of the strands involved, providing clues about the origins of life.
Their findings help predict how these complex RNA structures form and stay stable, offering exciting insights for future Origins of Life research.
This past May, Professor Szostak and team celebrated the opening of the Center for the Origins of Life at UChicago. To learn more about the center, click here. And to learn more about their work, read our recent story with Marco Todisco about their recent research on the Origins of Life.