Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have discovered a type of gene regulation never before observed in mammals — a “ribozyme” that controls the activity of an important family of genes in several different species.
The findings, published July 9 in the journal Nature, describe a new and surprising role for the so-called hammerhead ribozyme, an unusual molecule previously associated with obscure virus-like plant pathogens called viroids. The UCSC researchers found the ribozyme embedded within certain genes in mice, rats, horses, platypuses, and several other mammals. The genes are involved in the immune response and bone metabolism.
“The unique thing about these ribozymes is that they control the expression of the genes they’re embedded in,” said Monika Martick, a UCSC postdoctoral researcher and first author of the Nature paper.
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