{"678595":{"#nid":"678595","#data":{"type":"news","title":"RNA\u2019s Surprising Role in DNA Repair","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA multi-institutional team of researchers, led by Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/people\/francesca-storici\u0022\u003EFrancesca Storici\u003C\/a\u003E, has discovered a previously unknown role for RNA. Their insights could lead to improved treatments for diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders while changing our understanding of genetic health and evolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERNA molecules are best known as protein production messengers. They carry genetic instructions from DNA to ribosomes \u2014 the factories inside cells that turn amino acids into the proteins necessary for many cell functions. But Storici\u2019s team found that RNA can also help cells repair a severe form of DNA damage called a double-strand break, or DSB.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA DSB means both strands of the DNA helix have been severed. Cells have the tools to make some repairs, but a DSB is significant damage \u2014 and if not properly fixed can lead to mutations, cell death, or cancer. (Interestingly, cancer treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, can cause DSBs.)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStorici, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, has dedicated her research to studying the molecules and mechanisms underlying damaged DNA repairs. Ten years ago, she and collaborators discovered that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/nature13682\u0022\u003ERNA could serve as a template for DSB repair\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNow we\u2019ve learned that RNA can directly promote DSB repair mechanisms,\u201d said Storici, whose lab teamed with mathematics experts in the lab of Nata\u0161a Jonoska from the University of South Florida. They\u2019re all part of the Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology based at Georgia Tech. They \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-51457-9\u0022\u003Eexplain their discovery\u003C\/a\u003E in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese findings open up a new understanding of RNA\u0027s potential role in maintaining genome integrity and driving evolutionary changes,\u201d added Storici.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers used variation-distance graphs to visualize millions of DSB repair events, offering a comprehensive snapshot of sequence variations. The graphs highlighted major differences in repair patterns, depending on the DSB position.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis mathematical approach also uncovered significant differences in repair efficiency, pointing to RNA\u0027s potential in modulating DSB repair outcomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese findings underscore the critical role of mathematical visualization in understanding complex biological mechanisms and could pave the way for targeted interventions in genome stability and therapeutic research,\u201d said Jonoska.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMolecular Grunt Work\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen a DSB happens in DNA, it\u2019s like a load-bearing beam in a building breaking. A careful, precise repair is needed to ensure the building\u2019s \u2014 or the DNA\u2019s \u2014 stability. The pieces must be rejoined accurately to prevent further damage or mutation. Repairing a damaged building requires having a reliable foreman on the job site. A DSB requires something very similar.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA key mechanism we identified is that RNA can help position and hold the broken DNA ends in place, facilitating the repair process,\u201d explained Storici, whose team conducted the research in both human and yeast cells.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESpecifically, they found that RNA molecules and the broken section of DNA can match up like puzzle pieces. When RNA has this kind of complementarity with the DNA break site, it acts as a scaffold, or a guide, beyond its traditional coding function, showing the cellular machinery where to make repairs. Over millennia, cells have evolved complex mechanisms to fix DSB, each of them functioning like different tools from the same toolbox.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStorici\u2019s team showed that RNA can influence which tools are used, depending on its complementarity to the broken DNA strands. This means that in addition to being the important protein production messenger, RNA acts as both a foreman and laborer when it comes to DNA repair.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA deeper understanding of RNA\u2019s role in DNA repair could lead to new strategies for strengthening repair mechanisms in healthy cells, potentially reducing the harmful effects of treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRNA has a much broader function than we knew,\u201d Storici said. \u201cWe still have a lot of research to do into these mechanisms, but this work opens up new ways for exploring how RNA could be harnessed in healthcare, potentially leading to new treatments for cancer and other genetic diseases.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs Storici and other researchers continue probing RNA\u2019s effects in DNA repair, their revelations could have a lasting impact on human health and evolution. That means better gene therapies, new cancer treatments and anti-aging strategies \u2014 and also the ability to influence how organisms adapt and evolve.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION:\u003C\/strong\u003E Youngkyu Jeon, Yilin Lu, Margherita Maria Ferrari, Tejasvi Channagiri, Penghao Xu, Chance Meers, Yiqi Zhang, Sathya Balachander, Vivian S. Park, Stefania Marsili, Zachary F. Pursell, Nata\u0161a Jonoska, Francesca Storici. \u201cRNA-mediated double-strand break repair by end-joining mechanisms.\u201d\u003Cem\u003E Nature Communications\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-024-51457-9\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-024-51457-9\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFUNDING:\u003C\/strong\u003E NIH grants GM115927, ES028271; NSF grant MCB-1615335; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar grant 55108574; Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology NSF DMS-1764406; Simons Foundation grant 59459; NSF grants CCF-2107267 and DMS-2054321.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New insights could lead to improved treatments for cancer and other diseases."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStorici lab discovers RNA\u2019s surprising role in DNA repair, developing new insights could lead to improved treatments for cancer and other diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"RNA\u2019s Surprising Role in DNA Repair New insights could lead to improved treatments for cancer and other diseases."}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2024-11-21 19:07:26","changed_gmt":"2024-11-22 18:33:11","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-11-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-11-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675715":{"id":"675715","type":"image","title":"Storici in lab_0.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFrancesca Storici and her research team discovered a surprising role for RNA in DNA repair, insights that could lead to better treatments for cancer and other diseases. \u0026nbsp;Photo by Chris McKenney\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1732215541","gmt_created":"2024-11-21 18:59:01","changed":"1732220465","gmt_changed":"2024-11-21 20:21:05","alt":"Francesca Storici in her lab studying RNA and DNA","file":{"fid":"259374","name":"Storici in lab_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/11\/21\/Storici%20in%20lab_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/11\/21\/Storici%20in%20lab_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1617361,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/11\/21\/Storici%20in%20lab_0.jpg?itok=FllsbSfh"}},"675716":{"id":"675716","type":"image","title":"Janoska and Jeon","body":"\u003Cp\u003ENata\u0161a Jonoska and Youngkyu Jeon. Jonoska\u0027s lab collaborated with the lab of Francesca Storici. Jeon, a former PhD student in the Storici lab, was lead author of the study.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1732215675","gmt_created":"2024-11-21 19:01:15","changed":"1732215925","gmt_changed":"2024-11-21 19:05:25","alt":"Janoska and Jeon co authors","file":{"fid":"259372","name":"Jonoska and Jeon.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/11\/21\/Jonoska%20and%20Jeon.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/11\/21\/Jonoska%20and%20Jeon.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":794283,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/11\/21\/Jonoska%20and%20Jeon.jpg?itok=b2UBwq8H"}}},"media_ids":["675715","675716"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"},{"id":"2638","name":"DNA repair"},{"id":"174619","name":"RNA repair"},{"id":"9513","name":"Cancer Reserach"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"192250","name":"cos-microbial"},{"id":"193266","name":"cos-research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}