What is RNA?

What is the RNA?

There is life beyond the vaccines

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) vaccines are a worldwide trending topic at the moment, mainly due to the fact that these prophylactic tools, among other types of vaccines, are helping to tackle the horrendous pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

ARC Kiss1 mRNA Picture. Dark-field photomicrographs showing Kiss1 mRNA expression (white clusters of silver grains) in representative sections of the arcuate nucleus. This neuronal population, located at the bottom of the mediobasal hypothalamus, is one of the main activators of Gonadotropin-releasing neurons (GnRH), thereby, controlling puberty onset and the maintenance of the reproductive function.

For this reason, the word “RNA” is gaining more and more relevance, not only among the scientists and physicians, but among ordinary people. However, do we really know what RNA is? Let’s do a brief introduction. RNA is defined as a molecule consisting of a single chain of ribonucleotides, which are constituted by a ribose, a phosphate, and one of the following nitrogenous bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, or uracil. RNA is much more versatile than its sibling deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) since it can carry out different functions, from the control of gene expression to the regulation of the catalysis of certain biological reactions. Specifically, in the following articles we will focus on the messenger RNA (mRNA), which allows the information found in genes (DNA) to be translated into proteins. The readers will not only find key information about promising techniques based on the deep knowledge we have obtained about this molecule during recent years, including mRNA vaccines, but about the potential clinical utility of those techniques that could represent a step forward in terms of diagnosis (i.e. miRNAs) and treatment (siRNAs) of endocrine-related pathologies in the near future.

Juan Manuel Jimenez Vacas, Spain