The mechanism for reading DNA and decoding it to build proteins for their needs is common to all animals and plants, and is often hijacked by cancer.
Researchers used an advanced form of electron microscopy called Cryo-EM, for which the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2017, to zoom in and capture images of the reading mechanism in unprecedented detail.
The discovery of exactly how the molecular mechanism works -- published in the journal Nature -- could open up new approaches to cancer treatment.
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, captured images of molecular machinery called RNA Polymerase III in the act of transcribing a gene in exquisite and unprecedented detail.
[...] Cryo-EM is so powerful that it can take pictures of tiny molecules -- approximately 5 nanometers or 20000th of the width of a human hair -- at almost an atomic level.
It allowed researchers to see for the first time how components of the RNA polymerase III complex and accessory molecules interact and communicate with each other, suggesting how drugs might be employed to split the complex up.
The new study captured the molecular machinery in the act of binding to DNA, separating the two strands and getting ready to transcribe the DNA code.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180117131147.htm
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 19 2018, @05:07PM
(Score: 4, Informative) by HiThere on Friday January 19 2018, @06:51PM (1 child)
The problem is that anything that attacks that pathway it likely to kill all cells, not just cancer cells. It seems like quite important research, but more of the "basic research" kind than the "there's an immediate application" kind. Everyone just needs to pretend that their research has an immediate practical application. This is destructive to both research and science, but that's the way funding is set up.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by martyb on Saturday January 20 2018, @01:35AM
So, to mix genres... if Skynet ever comes to be, this is how they could "Kill All Humans!"? =)
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Corelli's A on Friday January 19 2018, @07:05PM (1 child)
What the scientists saw in their microscopic video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9dhO0iCLww [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by martyb on Saturday January 20 2018, @01:33AM
Good one!
Here is another video I found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ.
Wit is intellect, dancing.