Our RNA World

CentralDogma


The RNA World hypothesis proposes that life based on RNA may predate our current state of life based on DNA and perhaps may have led to cellular life. Whether or not this is true, it is clear that RNA is capable of far more than the Francis Crick’s central dogma of molecular biology would have you believe:

  1. RNA possesses capabilities for catalysis as is evident in RNA enzymes (aka ribozymes)
  2. RNA play important roles in complexes such as the ribosome and the spliceosome
  3. Riboswitches and RNAi help regulate gene expression
  4. RNA’s catalytic properties may be utilized for purposes not found in nature as seen in the Spider project