Images captured during the RNA

2002/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biokimika

A team of scientists from the Rockefeller University of the United States has managed to extract three-dimensional images of the RNA polymerase molecule. RNA polymerase is an enzyme.

With it, it is possible to transcribe information from DNA to the RNA molecules. Subsequently, this RNA will contain the information necessary to synthesize proteins. The scientific team has used X-ray crystallography to obtain the three-dimensional image of the enzyme.

First crystallize the molecule to be seen, in this case the enzyme. The X-rays are then sent, and if the amount and position of the rays are measured, the three-dimensional structure of the molecule can be known. In addition, this technique allows to obtain images with a low resolution in angstrom.