Input 2020.12.21 13:28
Identification of the’transcription’ process, the first step in the synthesis of vital proteins
The process of making mRNA, which is also used as a component of corona vaccine
“The genetic disease caused by transcription errors… will contribute to the development of treatments”–
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The Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) announced on the 21st that the research team of Dr. Seong-Hoon Jeon from the Research Equipment Operation Department, along with Yonsei University and the University of Pennsylvania, identified the three-dimensional structure of the “transcription system” and the principle that induces the “transcription” process. The research results were published on the 30th of last month in the international academic journal’Nature Communications’.
In order to maintain life, proteins that perform each function in the body must be made. Each protein is made by designing the genetic information stored in DNA. When a transcription complex binds to DNA and copies genetic information through a transcription process that copies the genetic information therein, messenger RNA (mRNA) containing the copied genetic information is created. mRNA uses this genetic information as a design to create new proteins. The new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) mRNA vaccine, which is recently being developed by global pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Modena, also consists of a specific mRNA that can induce the formation of immune antibodies by making viral antigen proteins in the body.
Although some of the transcription processes have been observed using observation equipment, there is a limit to the precision. The research team instead observed the transcription process of archaea, conceiving the fact that archaebacteria, which are distant biological ancestors of humans, have similar transcriptional processes to humans. This is because archaebacteria have a simpler gene than humans, so they can look into the transcription process more easily even with low precision.
Through a cryogenic electron microscope, the research team found a structure that acts as a’forceps’ in the transcription complex, and with this, the DNA twisted into a double helix was released and the transcription started.
Dr. Jeon said, “Many genetic diseases are caused by errors in the early stages of the transcription process. We will contribute to the development of therapeutic agents for genetic diseases by understanding electronic complexes and transcription processes at a molecular level.”
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