RNA

A paper in Nature Materials reports an effective and safe polymeric nanoparticle for the functional delivery of RNA into the lungs of various animal species.

Interactions between proteins and non-proteinaceous biopolymers are essential for life; however, many methods used to characterize these interactions lack precision and display significant biases. Now, a genetically encoded method employing sulfur(vi) fluoride exchange (SuFEx)-based chemical crosslinking has been developed for capturing and analysing protein–RNA and protein–carbohydrate interactions in vivo.

New methods for mapping the mRNA modifications N⁶-methyladenosine and pseudouridine enable large-scale functional analyses.

DNA nanotechnology and synthetic biology both aim to expand the range of dynamic behaviours exhibited by rationally programmed biomolecules. Now, the programmability of synthetic transcriptional circuits has been improved to enable synthesis of dynamic biomolecular circuits with unmatched complexity.