The rise of regulatory RNA.
Discoveries over the past decade portend a paradigm shift in molecular biology. Evidence suggests that RNA is not only functional as a messenger between DNA and protein but also involved in the regulation of genome organization and gene expression, which is increasingly elaborate in complex organisms. Regulatory RNA seems to operate at many levels; in particular, it plays an important part in the epigenetic processes that control differentiation and development. These discoveries suggest a central role for RNA in human evolution and ontogeny. Here, we review the emergence of the previously unsuspected world of regulatory RNA from a historical perspective.
School of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; and Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
Kevin V
KV
Morris
Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; the School of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, and St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
John S
JS
Mattick
D000818:Animals; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015894:Genome, Human / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000502:physiology*
D022661:RNA, Untranslated