RNA deserves its own massive counterpart to the human genome project, researchers argue

This report is very much modeled on the NASEM report that initiated the Human Genome Project, ” completed in 2003, says Cheung, who wasn’t involved in the new report’s drafting. But as the report notes, “The RNome is much more complex ” than a genome. For one thing, frequent modifications to RNA mean there will be no fixed, reference sequence like the one researchers produced for the human genome. For a given RNA molecule, researchers will have to document “not only the sequence, but also the type and location of the modification[s], ” adds Chuan He, a chemical biologist at the University of Chicago who runs an RNA research center for NHGRI. For that reason, NASEM proposes not a singular sequencing effort, but a project focused on “ enabling technologies and infrastructure,” says Carolyn Hutter, director of genome sciences at NHGRI. It sets a series of 5-year goals and suggests the establishment of “RNA core centers” to tackle them. Over 10 years, the RNome project should document all the modifications in the RNA of a few well-characterized human cell lines. By 15 years, it should have mapped modifications under different conditions in model organisms such as worms and cataloged them in human diseases. The report notes that understanding RNA modifications in the functioning of plants could lead to new ways to impr...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news