Yet another wrinkle on the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology: protein-templated DNA synthesis!

ABSTRACT
Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) are widespread bacterial anti-phage systems that use unconventional mechanisms of polynucleotide synthesis. We show that DRT3, which comprises two distinct RTs (Drt3a and Drt3b) and a noncoding RNA (ncRNA), synthesizes alternating poly(GT/AC) double-stranded DNA. Cryo–electron microscopy structures at 2.6 Å resolution reveal a D3-symmetric 6:6:6 complex of Drt3a, Drt3b, and ncRNA. Drt3a produces the poly(GT) strand using a conserved ACACAC template within the ncRNA. Notably, Drt3b synthesizes a complementary, protein-primed poly(AC) strand in the complete absence of a nucleic acid template, using conserved active site residues specific to Drt3b to enforce precise base alternation. These findings expand the functional landscape of nucleic acid polymerases, revealing a protein-templated mechanism for sequence-specific DNA synthesis.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aed1656

#centraldogma #molecularbiology #Drt3

How it started: Life is DNA, which uses rna to send messages and make proteins that do stuff.

How it's going: Life is RNA, which uses dna as a long-term data storage medium optimized for replication and repair.

#CentralDogma #Biology #pooptoot

Flow Of Genetic Information: Central Dogma

#CentralDogma, #Replication, #Transcription, #Translation #Genetics The researchers have long recognized a relationship among DNA, RNA and Protein, and this recognization have guided a vast amount…. Medical Microbiology & Recombinant DNA Technology (RDT) Labs | Read More -

https://micrordt.wordpress.com/2024/04/27/flow-of-genetic-information-central-dogma/

Temperature-dependent RNA editing in octopus extensively recodes the neural proteome
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674%2823%2900523-8

• Octopus bimaculoides increase A-to-I RNA editing at >20,000 sites in the cold
• Editing shifts occur within hours, observed in wild populations
• As a functional example, one cold-induced site alters kinesin motility
• Another cold-induced site alters Ca2+-binding affinity of synaptotagmin

Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36278739

#octopus #cephalopod #RNAediting #CentralDogma #DNA #RNA