RNA has emerged as a molecule of major importance throughout biology. Interest in RNA has exploded over the last decade, fueled in part by the discovery of microRNAs and RNA interference. In this course, students will be introduced to the diversity of especially non-coding RNA molecules and their functions in the cell. An interdisciplinary approach to understanding RNA structure and function will be taken. Both small and long non-coding RNAs became recognized as important players in biological systems. Coupled with the recognition that virtually every base of genomic DNA is transcribed at some level, it became apparent that non-coding RNAs have critical functions.
RNA science benefits from high throughput sequencing (HTS) to map global transcription to understand the complement of RNAs in the cell at any moment and under any condition. New bioinformatics methods have been and are being developed to extract biologically relevant information from these big datasets. In addition, even transient RNAs contain a wide range of post-transcriptional modifications, which may uncover yet another layer of regulation that we still do not fully appreciate.

RNA, as a novel therapeutic drug class, has the potential to address problems at any step of protein building, preventing the production of a non-functional protein. Furthermore, RNA’s ability to turn genes on and off enables scientists to identify the root origins of diseases and develop novel therapeutic approaches.