RNA world – the dark matter of evolutionary genomics

For a long time, molecular evolutionary biologists have been focused on DNA and proteins, whereas RNA has lived in the shadow of its famous chemical cousins as a mere intermediary. Although this perspective has begun to change since genome‐wide transcriptional profiling was successfully extended to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of evolutionary biology 2006-11, Vol.19 (6), p.1768-1774
Main Author: MICHALAK, P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
DNA microarrays
Evolution, Molecular
fitness
Gene Expression Regulation - genetics
Genomics
Humans
microRNAs
MicroRNAs - physiology
noncoding RNA
RNA, Small Nucleolar - physiology
RNA, Untranslated - genetics
Transcription, Genetic - genetics
transcriptional profiling
transcriptomics
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Summary:For a long time, molecular evolutionary biologists have been focused on DNA and proteins, whereas RNA has lived in the shadow of its famous chemical cousins as a mere intermediary. Although this perspective has begun to change since genome‐wide transcriptional profiling was successfully extended to evolutionary biology, it still echoes in evolutionary literature. In this mini‐review, new developments of RNA biochemistry and transcriptomics are brought to the attention of evolutionary biologists. In particular, the unexpected abundance and functional significance of noncoding RNAs is briefly reviewed. Noncoding RNAs control a remarkable range of biological pathways and processes, all with obvious fitness consequences, such as initiation of translation, mRNA abundance, transposon jumping, chromosome architecture, stem cell maintenance, development of brain and muscles, insulin secretion, cancerogenesis and plant resistance to viral infections.
ISSN:1010-061X
1420-9101
DOI:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01141.x