- Researchers at Columbia University suggested that when the bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae is infected by bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) they use a non-coding RNA with specific motifs (or structures) that could bind to reverse transcriptase and instruct cells to create DNA.
- This DNA copy has multiple copies of a gene that can create a specific protein.
- The researchers dubbed this protein ‘Neo’ for a “never-ending open-reading frame”.
- It could place the bacterial cell in a state of suspended animation, blocking its replication, and thus stalling the replication of the invading bacteriophage as well. Thus, the infection is stopped in its tracks.
- Recent discoveries including the role of reverse transcriptase in bacterial defence against bacteriophages hint at the potential of innovative applications in biotechnology and medicine.
Reverse Transcriptase
- Reverse transcriptase (RT), also known as RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, is a DNA polymerase enzyme that transcribes single-stranded RNA into DNA
- The enzyme reverse transcriptase became crucial for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus, forming a cornerstone of molecular diagnostics.
- Reverse transcriptase challenged the central dogma of molecular biology by showing RNA could create DNA.
- Reverse transcriptases shaped the human genome by inserting retroelements, which recent studies suggest play roles in physiological processes and neuropsychiatric diseases.
- This underscores the enzyme’s fundamental role in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems.
Dig Deeper: What are the retroelements in the Human genome?
