Our RNA World @ MHC

The GlmS   Riboswitch: A very unique addition to the catalytic RNA family! Figure 1. Riboswitch folding! (People in White Coats) We have all heard at some point that our genetic information is encoded in our DNA. Perhaps you have also heard that RNA is transcribed from DNA, and that proteins are synthesized from the information carried by RNA. This is known as the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology. From the Central Dogma, one would think that RNA only serves as a messenger, relaying instructions from DNA to protein, but that is not the case! RNA molecules are capable of participating in a wide array of reactions! They can even perform catalysis—previously thought to be exclusively performed by proteins. These catalytic RNA molecules have been dubbed “ribozymes.” Another interesting set of RNA molecules are the riboswitches. Riboswitches regulate gene expression. They are found in the sequence immediately prior to the gene that they regulated, and, when stimulate