The Latest Biology News And Medical NewsBiology News 2Health News 2Biology News 3Health News 3
HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Mathematical models reveal 'molten' and 'glassy' states of RNA

AUSTIN, Texas -- Mathematical models have given physicists a new look at DNA's chemical counterpart, RNA.

The models -- showing that RNA behaves differently depending on the temperature of its environment -- may help biologists better understand how life evolved on Earth.

The models suggest that high temperatures give twisted strands of RNA the flexibility to fold into many different shapes, while low temperatures cause it to collapse into a single shape.

Ralf Bundschuh, assistant professor of physics at Ohio State University, presented the results March 4 at the meeting of the American Physical Society in Austin, Texas.

RNA plays many different roles in a cell, such as the production of proteins that perform necessary functions, Bundschuh explained.

"People are probably more familiar with the genetic role of DNA, in which two strands of complementary base units bind to each other to create a double-helix structure. RNA behaves very much like a DNA molecule that has lost its complementary partner. In order for one strand of bases to form pairs, the strand must bend back onto itself -- it must fold," he said.

The structure of folded RNA resembles a severely twisted rubber band, with the shape of loops and branches determining its biological function.

Exactly how RNA
'"/>

Contact: Ralf Bundschuh
Bundschuh.2@osu.edu
614-688-3978
Ohio State University
4-Mar-2003


Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. Applied Mathematical Models in Human Physiology
2. Mathematical rule said to be widely and wrongly used to forecast future beach erosion
3. Mathematical modeling predicts cellular communication
4. Mathematical prediction of on-off switches in cell division proven
5. Mathematical model provides new tool to assess mail-borne spread of anthrax
6. Mathematical analysis could aid flu vaccine selection
7. New Mathematical Model Could Help Predict Health Of Offshore Areas Where Rivers Enter The Sea
8. Computer models expose humans as main cause of caribou decline
9. Computer models forecast sharp increase in temperature if heat-trapping emissions continue to rise
10. New tool for studying animal models of neurological and psychiatric diseases
11. Insect infestation models may shed light on insect and disease outbreaks
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Mathematical models reveal molten and glassy states RNA

(Date:11/19/2008)... on Monday awarded $66.9 million to the Big Sky Ca...iversity to fund a project that will inject a mill... layer beneath southwestern Wyoming. , The award...g for the Big Sky partnership, which is based at M... will stay on the MSU campus to pay for the univer...
(Date:11/19/2008)...dpipe), utilising the patient,s own stem cells, ha...n with a failing airway. The bioengineered trachea...functioning airway, thereby saving her life. , ...nce that adult stem cells, combined with biologica...ons to other serious illnesses. , In particular,...
(Date:11/19/2008)...urnal PLoS ONE highlights how the exploration of...he story of a voyage of discovery, starting with m... molecules responsible and their application as ma...ch as sea anemones and corals produce fluorescent .... Fluorescent proteins have revolutionized biomedi...
(Date:11/18/2008)...eleased by Amazon.com on Black Friday , , W...ammer Company announces the release of the all new...ng and music. The new ButtKicker Kit is a complete...me theater and gaming that quickly and easily tran...affordable "4-D" theater, allowing viewers to lite...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Montana State partnership receives $66.9M for carbon sequestration 2Montana State partnership receives $66.9M for carbon sequestration 3Adult stem cell breakthrough 2Adult stem cell breakthrough 3Biomedical research profits from the exploration of the deep sea 2Photos: Turn Your Couch into a 'Disney' Ride for Under $300 2Photos: Turn Your Couch into a 'Disney' Ride for Under $300 310th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer Barcelona Spain 22289 110th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer Barcelona Spain 22289 2Vitamin D May Promote Colon Cancer Survival 22287 1Vitamin D May Promote Colon Cancer Survival 22287 2Vitamin D May Promote Colon Cancer Survival 22287 3Agingcare com Adds Elder Care Expert Carole Bursack to Staff 22285 1Agingcare com Adds Elder Care Expert Carole Bursack to Staff 22285 2Brookdale to Present at 2008 Jefferies Healthcare Conference on June 24 22283 1
Other News:
...gon Health & Science University Cancer Institute r...el designed specifically to study the often devast...ng Wang, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues report their ... & Development. ...... "This is the first animal...
...ing Harbor Laboratory on Long Island have identifi... the brain is the chief target of the widely presc...enable a new generation of more specific treatment...eveloped.......The findings also lay the foundatio...
...chnique for detecting brain damage caused by strok...at The University of Manchester.... ...Professor G...sor Risto Kauppinen of the University of Birmingha...e technique which measures acidity (pH) in the bra...
...dy shows that treatment with pyrimethamine and sul...rst year of life leads to a lasting reduction in b...oxoplasmosis. ......In the May 15 issue of the jo...ort that a treatment they defined -- now considere...
OHSU researcher develops first animal model to treat devasting head and neck cancers 2Prozac's target revealed 2Full year of treatment helps infants and children with toxoplasmosis 2Full year of treatment helps infants and children with toxoplasmosis 3
... aneurysm in the abdominal aorta is one of the mos...ans face--50 percent of the patients who make it t...mage-guided, endovascular surgical device called a...d vascular surgeons a promising alternative for tr...
...ne 25, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announc...ce in Cancer Communications Research" at the Unive...rove the quality of life for cancer patients and t... populations. ......Researchers from several schoo...
...ebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center today la... a type of gene therapy for prostate cancer. The...loped at UCSD. ......The vaccine is prepared using...-system cell, obtained through a simple blood draw...
Imaging various parts of the body is an established and important method for the diagnosis of diseases such as breast cancer, and is also used extensively for the detection of abnormalities in organs
health news:Endografts help prevent deaths from abdominal aortic aneurysms 2health news:Endografts help prevent deaths from abdominal aortic aneurysms 3health news:UW-Madison receives $10 million for cancer communications research 2health news:Moores UCSD Cancer Center launches human trial for prostate cancer vaccine 2health news:Moores UCSD Cancer Center launches human trial for prostate cancer vaccine 3health news:Life-saving imaging techniques developed at Oxford University 2
...ic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains a serious dis...ethnic minorities and individuals with low socioec... run. Other research has shown that care provided ... is associated with improved outcomes yet does not...
ANN ARBOR, Mich. People who suffer a heart attack or severe chest pain today are much less likely to die, or to experience long-lasting effects, than their counterparts even a few years ago, accordin
...he window to the soul, may become a window to the ...scle disease that often leads to death in early ad...lar dystrophy spares a few muscles of the body -- ...c region and the eye muscles. What is it that allo...
...ked with fear and pain in the brain, scientists ha... this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, researc...g money activated an area of the brain involved in...nancial decisions, such as playing the lottery or ...
health news:Older, lower income patients least likely to see a specialist for lupus 2health news:Good news on heart attack and chest pain 2health news:Good news on heart attack and chest pain 3health news:Good news on heart attack and chest pain 4health news:Eye muscles -- those go-getters of the anatomical world 2health news:Eye muscles -- those go-getters of the anatomical world 3health news:Why losing money may be more painful than you think 2