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By Zoey Shen
National RNA Day was created to celebrate the importance of RNA in our lives. The date, August 1, matches the start codon for protein synthesis, AUG (adenine, uracil, guanine). But what is RNA anyway?
Ribonucleic acid, more commonly known as RNA, carries genetic information to be translated during protein synthesis. Unlike DNA, RNA has Uracil (U) rather than Thymine (T), and has a single strand that is ready to mingle unlike the double stranded DNA. There are 3 main types of RNA associated with protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and transfer RNA (tRNA).
mRNA acts as a messenger and carries instructions from the DNA of a cell to the ribosomes in order to ensure the correct sequence of amino acids is being produced. tRNA translates mRNA into proteins and rRNA forms ribosomes. Not only does RNA assist in protein synthesis, it also performs RNA editing, RNA interference, and gene regulation with another group of RNA consisting of small nuclear RNA (snRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and small interfering RNA (siRNA). snRNA are in charge of splicing introns, which is required for gene expression, miRNA which binds with mRNA to block its translation, and siRNA which degrades mRNA to prevent the translation of certain proteins.
Not only does RNA exist within living things, it also exists within things that are (controversially) not living! RNA viruses rely on RNA rather than DNA as their genetic material, such as in polio and in hepatitis E.
RNA is often overlooked compared to its much more well-known sibling, DNA, but without RNA life would cease to exist. How exciting! RNA plays an important role in protein synthesis through various jobs such as carrying instructions to the ribosome and influencing gene expression. We can all take our time on this day to appreciate the impact of the humble RNA.
Sources
Sources
Emergence, Evolution and Economics of Coronaviruses - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Major-families-of-RNA-viruses-having-a-medical-impact_tbl1_363414775
Wang, David, and Aisha Farhana. “Biochemistry, RNA Structure.” PubMed, StatPearls Publishing, 29 July 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK558999/.
your genome. “What Is RNA?” Www.yourgenome.org, www.yourgenome.org/theme/what-is-rna/.
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