title: The expanding view of RNA and DNA function.
abstract: RNA and DNA are simple linear polymers consisting of only four major types of subunits, and yet these molecules carry out a remarkable diversity of functions in cells and in the laboratory. Each newly discovered function of natural or engineered nucleic acids enforces the view that prior assessments of nucleic acid function were far too narrow and that many more exciting findings are yet to come. This Perspective highlights just a few of the numerous discoveries over the past 20 years pertaining to nucleic acid function, focusing on those that have been of particular interest to chemical biologists. History suggests that there will continue to be many opportunities to engage chemical biologists in the discovery, creation, and manipulation of nucleic acid function in the years to come.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, and Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. Electronic address: ronald.breaker@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Ronald R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Breaker
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: gjoyce@scripps.edu.
authors.forename: Gerald F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Joyce
mesh_terms: D000494:Allosteric Regulation; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002384:Catalysis; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D021881:DNA, Catalytic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016337:RNA, Catalytic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D058928:Riboswitch
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D021881:DNA, Catalytic; D016337:RNA, Catalytic; D058928:Riboswitch; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA