March 2010

TEN GEORGE: "Welcome to the new world of RNA

Quarto ed ultimo appuntamento del ciclo di "Scientificamente" per il 2010:

Benvenuti nel nuovo mondo dell’RNA.
Non c'è solo il DNA nel futuro della Biologia
Giorgio Dieci - Università di Parma Il genoma (ovvero l’insieme genetic information) of all living things, including humans, is represented by the macromolecules of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) double strand present as identical in each set of cells (from one to thousands of billions) that make up the body . Within each genome can be identified thousands of units of information called genes. When, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the operations were completed sequencing the genome of the human species, and various other model organisms - such as yeast, fruit flies and mice - it seems that the secret of life, and so many different forms and properties through which it manifest, was now at hand. In fact, knowledge of the complete genomic sequence was not the first appearance of biologists on a new and unexplored continent. Significantly, the exploration that followed and that continues even today is called "post-genomic biology." One of the biggest surprises of the post-genomic biology is RNA (ribonucleic acid), the polymer whose biosynthesis is the first step through which the information contained in DNA is "expressed", that are operational. The importance of RNA in some fundamental biological processes such as protein synthesis, is known for a long time. However, the post-genomic revealed that the number and variety of RNA species derived from the expression of the genome is extremely large, much larger than the wait. In particular, there was so impressive the discontinuous genes, by which a gene can be expressed in hundreds of different ways, have come to light a new class of tiny RNA that affect all cellular processes and organization of the same genome , and have been and are routinely identified new species of RNA whose function is still completely unknown. In short, the journey into the new world of RNA has just begun, and already is full of surprises, puzzles and landscapes never seen.
TEN GEORGE, born in Piacenza in 1965, is Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Parma, where he holds the teachings of Cellular Biochemistry and molecular biology of eukaryotes. His research focuses on molecular mechanisms of gene transcription and its regulation in eukaryotes, and the biogenesis of new RNA regulatory function. After graduating in Biological Sciences at the University of Parma, where he also received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Pathology, he spent a period of postdoctoral studies at the Service de Biochimie et Genetique Molecular CEA, Saclay (Gif- sur-Yvette, France), during which ha scoperto nuovi aspetti fondamentali del processo di trascrizione. Rientrato in Italia, è stato coordinatore di progetti scientifici nazionali e di un team internazionale di ricerca finanziato dallo Human Frontier Science Program. Le ricerche svolte nell’ambito di questi programmi hanno dato origine a collaborazioni con gruppi di ricerca italiani e stranieri (USA, Francia, Giappone, Svizzera) e sono state pubblicate su prestigiose riviste scientifiche di ambito biologico (Cell, EMBO Journal, Trends in Genetics, Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Molecular and Cellular Biology) o multidisciplinare (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA). Negli ultimi anni ha affiancato all’insegnamento universitario e alla ricerca un impegno costante in the promotion of culture and scientific work, sharing the work and purposes of the Association Euresis (rediscover and bring the beauty and profound humanity sciences through exhibitions, meetings and conferences of national and international) and cooperating with the review of education Scientific Emmepiquadro.

Some links for further information: Wikipedia entry dedicated to RNA.
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multimedia page dedicated to the Human Genome Project

(ed. Molecular Lab

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