#polymerase

Simple Explanation of DNA Replication

Introduction to DNA/RNA DNA or Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid is the motherboard of every living thing. It is a double helix structure comprised of a Phosphate and sugar (Deoxyribose) backbone that is connected by 5′-3′ phosphodiester bonds. Attached to the backbone is the main genetic material that codes for the synthesis of proteins and other structures. These important molecules are called…

Tick Block

Ticks are parasites that prey on the legs of carefree woodland frolickers, among other creatures, and can carry diseases. One of these is the virus tick-borne encephalitis, which can have serious impacts. How it interacts with brain cells, where it can wreak havoc, is not well understood. To see how it does damage, researchers compared cells infected with the virus (left, green, 48 hours after infection) with uninfected cells (right). They found that infected cells couldn’t produce RNA (red), an important form of genetic material involved in the fundamental processes of producing proteins according to DNA’s instructions. Digging deeper, they found that only RNA produced by one particular form of RNA-producing protein (RNA polymerase 1) was blocked, showing the virus was targeting this process in particular. Perhaps knowing this will open new options for tackling ticks and the trouble they cause.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Image from work by Martin Selinger and Hana Tykalová, and colleagues

Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)

Published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, September 2019