PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Sidney Altman\'s discovery of the processing of one RNA by another RNA that acts like an enzyme was revolutionary in biology and the basis for his sharing the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas Cech. These breakthrough findings support the key role of RNA in molecular evolution, where replicating RNAs (and similar chemical derivatives) either with or without peptides functioned in protocells during the early stages of life on Earth, an era referred to as the RNA world. Here, we cover the historical background highlighting the work of Altman and his colleagues and the subsequent efforts of other researchers to understand the biological function of RNase P and its catalytic RNA subunit and to employ it as a tool to downregulate gene expression. We primarily discuss bacterial RNase P-related studies but acknowledge that many groups have significantly contributed to our understanding of archaeal and eukaryotic RNase P, as reviewed in this special issue and elsewhere.
摘要：
SidneyAltman发现一种RNA被另一种像酶一样的RNA加工，这在生物学上是革命性的，也是他与TomCech分享1989年诺贝尔化学奖的基础。这些突破性的发现支持了RNA在分子进化中的关键作用，在地球生命的早期阶段，复制RNA（和类似的化学衍生物）有或没有肽在原始细胞中起作用，一个被称为RNA世界的时代(1,2)。这里,我们涵盖了突出Altman和他的同事的工作的历史背景以及其他研究人员的后续努力，以了解RNaseP及其催化RNA亚基的生物学功能，并将其用作下调基因表达的工具。我们主要讨论细菌RNaseP相关研究，但承认许多小组对我们对古细菌和真核RNaseP的理解做出了重大贡献。如本期特刊和其他地方(3-7)所述。
