{"id":31821,"date":"2024-11-07T18:07:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T12:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=31821"},"modified":"2024-11-07T18:07:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T12:37:21","slug":"rna-editing-promises-to-go-where-dna-editing-cant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-11-2024\/rna-editing-promises-to-go-where-dna-editing-cant","title":{"rendered":"RNA Editing Promises to Go Where DNA Editing Can\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A biotechnology company, Wave Life Sciences successfully performed the first clinical RNA editing in humans on two patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is RNA editing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cells synthesize <strong>messenger RNA (mRNA) <\/strong>using instructions in DNA and then \u2018read\u2019 instructions from the mRNA to make functional proteins.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>During this process of <strong>transcription,<\/strong> the cell may make mistakes in the mRNA\u2019s sequence and based on it produce faulty proteins.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>RNA editing<\/strong> is a process where scientists correct errors in mRNA after it&#8217;s synthesized by the cell but before it&#8217;s read to produce proteins.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This helps prevent the production of faulty proteins that can cause disorders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The technique involves a group of enzymes called adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ADAR changes parts of mRNA by turning <strong>adenosine<\/strong> into <strong>inosine<\/strong>, which acts like <strong>guanosine.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This change helps the cell recognize a problem in the mRNA and fix it, allowing the cell to produce normal proteins.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scientists use <strong>guide RNA (gRNA) to direct ADAR <\/strong>to the specific part of the mRNA that needs editing, ensuring precise corrections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u03b1-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is an inherited disorder where patients suffering from AATD, levels of the <strong>protein \u03b1-1 antitrypsin<\/strong> build up and affect the liver and the lungs.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People with AATD affecting the lungs currently go through weekly intravenous therapy for relief.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Among people where AATD has affected the liver, a <strong>liver transplant <\/strong>is the sole treatment option.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>RNA v. DNA Editing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Safety and flexibility:<\/strong> DNA editing makes permanent changes to a person\u2019s genome and sometimes this can lead to irreversible errors.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On the other hand, RNA editing makes temporary changes, allowing the effects of the edits to fade over time.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CRISPR-Cas9 and other DNA editing tools<\/strong> require proteins acquired from certain bacteria to perform the cutting function, but these proteins can elicit undesirable immune reactions in some cases.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>RNA editing relies on ADAR enzymes, which already occur in the human body and thus present a lower risk of allergic reactions.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in RNA Editing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Specificity: <\/strong>ADARs can perform adenosine-inosine changes in both targeted and non-targeted parts of mRNA, or skip the targeted parts altogether.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When ADARs don\u2019t align with the adenosine of interest, potentially serious side-effects could arise.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transient nature of RNA editing:<\/strong> this is also its strength, but individuals will need to be treated repeatedly to sustain the therapy\u2019s effects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Current methods to deliver the<strong> gRNA-ADAR complex use lipid nanoparticles.<\/strong> Both these methods have a limited carrying capacity, meaning they can\u2019t transport large molecules very well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Although RNA editing is still in its early stages, numerous companies globally are working on developing these methods to treat various diseases.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With continued research and clinical trials, RNA editing is poised to become an integral part of the gene-editing toolkit in medical practice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/rna-editing-promises-to-go-where-dna-editing-cant\/article68836223.ece#:~:text=and%20future%20outlook-,RNA%20editing%20is%20in%20i\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A biotechnology company, Wave Life Sciences successfully performed the first clinical RNA editing in humans on two patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31821"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31822,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31821\/revisions\/31822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}