Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

News Video | Policy | GPs | Hospitals | Medical | Mental Health | Welfare | Search

 

Key element in bacterial immune system discovered

Key element in bacterial immune system discovered

A University of Otago scientist is a member of an international research team that has made an important discovery about the workings of a bacterial immune system. The finding could lead to the development of tailor-made RNA-editing tools.

RNA is the molecule that translates DNA’s genetic instructions into the production of the proteins that are the building blocks of cells.

In a recent paper in the leading journal Science, the team has shown how a surveillance complex in the bacterial immune system is able to target specific sites on RNA molecules to destroy invading viruses and other foreign genetic elements.

The researchers, who include Otago postdoctoral fellow Dr Raymond Staals, believe this targeting mechanism could one day be adapted to engineer microbes to serve a variety of purposes, including environmental clean-up, green chemistry, and the production of safer, more effective therapeutic drugs.

In their paper, the team have provided the first high-resolution structural images of a fully intact Type III CRISPR-Cas surveillance complex bound to its target RNA, thereby showing how the RNA-targeting mechanism in this complex works.

Dr Staals, who is based in Otago’s Department of Microbiology & Immunology, says the complex recognises and snips single-stranded RNA molecules at multiple sites allowing bacteria to destroy viral genetic material before it hijacks their cells.

“A hand-like structure in the complex grips the RNA target, and then a thumb-like structure on the hand pushes the RNA into the right position in the catalytic site to be cleaved,” he says.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

The researchers say the structural data they have gained suggests ways in which this RNA-targeting mechanism could potentially be re-purposed for RNA-interference applications.

RNA interference is a natural mechanism involved in sequence-specific gene silencing and holds promise for revolutionising areas such as medicine, where specific genes in diseased tissues could be selectively turned off.

“It is quite exciting to think that a tool that has evolved through the eternal invisible war fought between bacteria and viruses could one day be adapted to effectively and safely treat deadly human diseases,” Dr Staals says.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Culture Headlines | Health Headlines | Education Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • CULTURE
  • HEALTH
  • EDUCATION
 
 
  • Wellington
  • Christchurch
  • Auckland
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.