Senseless RNA controls the biological clock

The gene of the biological clock controls your circadian rhythm with the help of two RNAS, one of which interferes with work of another.

The majority of living beings on Earth (and we) live by a daily, or circadian, rhythms. This means that the genetic, biochemical, cellular, physiological and mental processes we are subject to a 24-hour shift day and night: we Wake up and go to sleep, feel hunger at certain times of the day, we have some genes are activated in the morning and the other in the evening, etc. At the same time the biological clock is also regulated by its own molecular mechanisms that are tuned to light and other external factors, their changes make it clear that over time we have at the moment.





Circadian rhythms play a vital role in our lives and the problems they lead to a host of diseases. For example, eating outside of school time disrupts the metabolism, which in turn provokes the development of obesity, upset the biological clock cause over-stimulation of the immune system, so that the immune system begins to malfunction, etc. and, we know the mechanisms of regulation of circadian rhythms, they could be set, that is, manually, to correct the errors of our biological clock and thus get rid of mental and physiological disorders associated with "time" anomalies. One of the mechanisms describe in the journal Nature Zhihong Xue (Xue Zhihong) and his colleagues from the southwestern medical center the University of Texas.

The feature of this work is that it is a question of long non-coding RNAS. Such RNA, although have a relatively large size, do not carry information about proteins but can serve important regulatory molecules. (Therefore, calling them meaningless, we mean only their unsuitability for protein synthesis; in General, their role in the cell more than makes sense.) Experiments with the mold fungus Neurospora crassa (Neurospora thick, or red bread mold) showed that the activity of the circadian gene frq mildew depends on non-coding RNAS qrf. That is, in the gene for the biological clock, frq RNA is synthesized with information about the protein. But at the same gene is synthesized antisense RNA qrf, which is a complementary sense protein. (Gene, as we remember, it is a piece of double-stranded DNA, every thread of which could be read RNA-synthesizing enzymes.)

Synthesis antimicrobal qrf included in the light signal, after which she was contacted and synthesis of frq circadian protein to a sense RNA continued. That is, antisense RNA marked another phase hours; indeed, the activity of both molecules are exactly depended on the time of day. Without antimicrobal qrf circadian rhythm was upset for accurate clock was required both molecules.

Although the experiments were performed on Plesneva the fungus, the authors believe that the same mechanism exists in other animals, and there is indirect evidence – for example, similar RNAS have with the mouse. However, remember that the more complex the organism, the more complex it system for the regulation of biological rhythms. Your watch is every organ and every cell, and although they are in their work coordinated with the Central brain for hours, some autonomy, the autonomy they have is still there. In addition, today, there are about 20 genes responsible for regulating circadian rhythms, so you can imagine how difficult must be a common control network of the biological clock.

Cyril Stasevich

 

Source: nkj.ru