Resurrecting an ancestral protein as a novel tool to study RNA biology

Originally published by Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology on December 2, 2024

Methylation activity of M.EcoGII variants in HEK293T cells. Credit: Nucleic Acids Research (2024). DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae887

By deducing the possible ancient forms of a bacterial enzyme, OIST scientists have resurrected one of its ancestral versions, with a comparably higher ability to chemically modify RNA.

In the Protein Engineering and Evolution Unit's latest publication in Nucleic Acids Research, the team presents an engineered RNA methyltransferase, which can be used to study the role of RNA modifications in cells.

With RNA modifications affecting stability, promoting translation, and influencing its location within the cell, such modifications play an important role in the cell's health and in diseases.

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