Twenty years of RNA and mRNA decay.

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Happy 20th anniversary RNA journal! It is hard to believe it has already been two decades since the inception of the journal. I still remember the excitement within the RNA community upon hearing that the RNA Society would have its own journal. Over the years, RNA has proven itself as a major venue for disseminating quality research on RNA biology and a noteworthy contributor to the recognition of the significance of RNA research and the RNA field in general. Progress in the past 20 years has been remarkable in establishing the significance of post-transcriptional control and has fueled the realization that regulated gene expression does not end following synthesis of a pre-mRNA. For example, two decades ago, microRNAs were still in their infancy and more generally thought of as an anomaly while RNA interference and the plethora of subsequently described noncoding RNAs, had not yet been reported and likely had not yet even been envisioned. The realization that much of these transcripts could be regulatory RNAs has redefined the RNA landscape. The tremendous potential unleashed by these endogenous or exogenous small RNAs has opened a whole new frontier to enable functional dissection of gene expression not previously possible in mammalian cells. Moreover, uncovering the amazing ability of prokaryotes to use an elaborate RNA-based innate immune response encoded within the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) has arguably provided one of the most revolutionary means to alter and assess eukaryotic gene expression. One underlying principle common to all RNAs is that they are not around forever. They all have distinct half-lives and are ultimately degraded. The fact that the overwhelming majority of our genome is transcribed into RNAs of unknown functions, all of which must ultimately be degraded, illustrates the significant role that RNA turnover plays in normal cellular homeostasis. Much of our current knowledge of RNA turnover is focused on the degradation of mRNAs. A brief flashback to the mid-'90s, current status and future direction of mRNA decay research follows below.