Genetic Sensor That Glows When It Detects Critical Changes in RNA Could Accelerate Research To Combat Diseases

An evolutionary sensor that could help experts detect critical changes in RNA was developed. According to researchers, this could help boost studies finding promising solutions to diseases like COVID-19, cancer, and heart diseases.

Genetic Sensor To Detect RNA Modification

Researchers from the Duke University School of Medicine have discovered a novel genetic sensor highlighting significant alterations in our genetic makeup. In the new study, they examined the potential and strength of RNA to treat several illnesses, including COVID-19, cancer, and heart disease.

The sensor, created by a Duke team under the direction of assistant professor Kate Meyer, Ph.D., in the Department of Biochemistry, emits a fluorescent glow when it comes into contact with m6A, a tiny but potent RNA alteration.

"The idea to build an m6A sensor was first conceptualized back in 2019. However, as happens so often in research, turning an idea into a working system was harder than anticipated," Meyer said. "After testing multiple different reporter mRNA strategies, one version of the system finally showed evidence that it worked."

Meyer, the senior author of the study, created and patented GEMS.

The discovery focuses on m6A, an RNA alteration that influences how genes function and how cells carry out their tasks. The presence or absence of m6A can affect various biological functions, including immunity, circadian rhythms, growth, learning and memory, and reproduction.

The recently discovered technology's ability to solve a persistent research barrier makes it revolutionary. Until now, there hasn't been a reliable method for tracking m6A alterations in living cells.

All existing approaches necessitate RNA isolation from cells and typically entail costly procedures such as next-generation sequencing and mass spectrometry.

What Is GEMS?

GEMS offers a clear and easily accessible platform for researchers to monitor m6A dynamics in real-time, and it has the potential to usher in a new era of RNA modification research.

The first genetically encoded m6A sensor is a significant advancement since it uses a straightforward and trustworthy fluorescent tag to track cellular m6A levels and can detect dynamic changes in RNA modifications within its native context, according to first author Fadi Marayati, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate in the Meyer Lab at Duke University School of Medicine.

"We hope that this system will find widespread use among others in the research community and lead to insights into m6A biology," Meyer added.

Genetic Mechanisms in Dietary Preferences

Genetics plays an important role in our health and even in our diet. Researchers from the University of Colorado have shown that around 500 different genes, some related to taste perception, immediately affect what we eat.

The study's principal investigator, University of Colorado professor of genomics Joanne Cole, said several contextual factors, including upbringing, culture, financial status, and learning habits, influence dietary consumption. Our dietary choices are still somewhat influenced by our genetic makeup.

After identifying hundreds of genomic regions linked to dietary intake, Cole began his quest to identify the genes that directly influence nutrition without being mediated by other health, lifestyle, or environmental factors. She claims that some of these genes modify the lock-and-key binding of the receptor to flavor molecules and that this modification in binding modifies our brains' perception of flavor and, by extension, pleasure. This explains why some people are inherently opposed to Brussels sprouts.

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