Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology. Introduction.

摘要

The RNA World reveals a little more of itself every day. Glimpses of a previously unseen community of RNA individuals - fragile and strong, permanent and evanescent, enzymes and substrates, structural components and co-factors - have seduced many new investigators. It is as if a door has opened onto the world of a Breughel painting with hundreds of RNA molecules doing everything imaginable and unimaginable. The discovery of microRNAs - exciting enough in its own right - was just the first taste of non-coding RNAs, with a startling array of biological functions. In parallel, new systems of RNA metabolism and biology have emerged.