The hand of RNA
Creators: name: Anbalagan, Savani
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: riboceptor
ribozyme

description: The hand of RNA

 

Adam Mickiewicz University scientist proposes a new concept in biology that may help researchers understand the origin of interspecies communication. His proposal of riboceptors fills a missing piece in the puzzle of the RNA world-based origin of life.

 

Continuing his streak of creative thinking, a researcher at Adam Mickiewicz University's Faculty of Biology, who recently challenged the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and introduced the field of gasocrinology, now introduces a novel term in biology: riboceptors. His riboceptor concept holds promise for enhancing our understanding and treatment of human diseases and viral infections, as well as addressing the health of our planet, Earth.

How life originated on Earth is a fundamental question in biology. The ideas presented in the new study, proposed by Dr. Savani Anbalagan at the Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, could open up infinite possibilities in studying interspecies communication. His proposal has been published in the prestigious journal, RNA Biology.

The origin of molecular life has received tremendous attention from the scientific community across disciplines. Numerous experiments and theories have been proposed to explain how, from the Big Bang event, molecules interacted and eventually gave rise to microorganisms. One of the famous hypotheses about the origin of life that has received significant attention is the RNA world concept, first proposed in 1962. Experiments supporting the RNA world concept largely focus on RNA-based enzymes called ribozymes. The discovery of ribozymes led to the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Thomas R. Cech and Sidney Altman, researchers who led the research groups that identified them. But an unanswered question in the RNA world is how did communication start? Did molecules communicate first and then the machinery got integrated into organisms? Or did organisms first form and then the machinery evolved within them? Anbalagan’s concept of riboceptors hints that molecules could have first sensed the environment before they started to communicate.

One of the most studied RNA-based molecular machines is the ribosome, and to date, close to a quarter million articles have been published related to it. Ribosomes ensure that cells can make proteins from RNA molecules. Any defects in ribosome function can lead to defects in protein synthesis. “Imagine a car factory conveyor belt. With these advanced machines, the best car companies can make 50-100 cars per hour. Ribosomes are like these conveyor belts, making around 1000 proteins per mRNA per hour,” explains Dr. Anbalagan. But unlike ribosomes, which are made of both RNA and proteins, ribozymes are completely made of RNA. “In a car factory, if the conveyor belts are ribosomes, individual human workers are like ribozymes. But apart from making cars, they could do many other things. If there is an upcoming war, they will make swords; if there is a fire, they will run for water; if there is an Oktoberfest, they will make enough beer; if there is a wedding, they will play music and dance. Ribozymes are like those individual humans. But if you think about it, they need to know there is a war, fire, Oktoberfest, or wedding so they can make swords, get water, make beer, or play music when it is needed. And my idea of riboceptors is exactly like this. A ribozyme must know when it must function and when it must not, or else it’s a waste of resources!” Even though ribozymes were discovered in the 1980s and more than 26,000 articles exist on ribozymes, no ribozyme researcher has proposed riboceptors before. “I don’t know, perhaps in physics people have more freedom of creativity and proposing theoretical concepts, whereas in biology, for reasons unclear, creativity seems to be chained. In physics, new mathematical equations are needed to propose theories. In biology, sometimes words are enough to propose something new; we don’t need equations like Einstein.” adds Dr. Anbalagan, looking out the window.










My riboceptors idea is like the hand of god in RNA world-based origin of life theory.






 RNA world-focused researchers have largely focused on how self-polymerizing molecules arose, and the discovery of ribozymes accelerated research identifying many classes of ribozymes with different enzymatic activities. However, the RNA world hypothesis lacked a clear explanation of how ribozymes evolved to sense the environment and whether ribozymes communicated with each other. “I am from India, and when I was a child, I heard many stories and seen many paintings about how God created the world. Then, in Europe, I have seen beautiful paintings of the Creation of Adam. You see those two hands so close; God knew where Adam was. He knew where he must give the first life. Likewise, even in the RNA world hypothesis, RNA-based ribozymes must also sense the environment to know where the best place to function, act, polymerize, and so on is. My riboceptors idea is like the hand of God in the RNA world-based origin of life theory. Like Maradona’s goal as well if someone will experimentally prove it.” smiles Dr. Anbalagan.

Dr. Anbalagan has proposed two types of riboceptors: one for sensing environmental gases and the other for sensing temperature. In his ideas, ribozymes that have or are associated with an additional gas- or temperature-sensing module are gas- and temperature-sensing riboceptors. “During the recent pandemic, we knew that patients' oxygen saturation levels dropped, putting their lives in danger. I wonder if SARS-CoV-2 or other viruses have oxygen-sensing riboceptors and if this affects patients. It is a question for experts in virus genomics and other ribozyme researchers. I hope we don’t need to wait for the next pandemic to find the answers.” Ribozymes, too, were proposed before being experimentally proven. But only the discovery of ribozymes led to a Nobel Prize. When asked if he will experimentally find and prove gas-sensing riboceptors and perhaps get a Nobel Prize one day, Dr. Anbalagan responded, “Well, the riboceptors idea is out, and any expert with grants and skilled hands can test my ideas. I could be selfish, keep my ideas, apply for grants, and my students may prove it, and perhaps I may get a Nobel Prize if I am luckier than Prof. Virginijus Šikšnys from Vilnius University. Many do science for the sake of curiosity, but some forget it along the way, and it all becomes territorial and mostly a VIP club. Why, in physics, are Nobel Prizes awarded to theoretical physicists who don’t need research money, but in biology, only those who have money to do experiments get the awards? The burning question we must ask is why no one thought of riboceptors and proposed it openly. If there are RNA-based enzymes and enzyme-based receptors, wouldn’t there be ribozyme-based receptors? Isn’t it a simple question to ask, but why has no one asked before? What were all those ribozyme- and RNA world-focused conferences about?”

Will the RNA World hypothesis include Anbalagan’s ideas on riboceptors? Are Anbalagan’s riboceptors truly “the hand of God” in the RNA world, and will they help us understand how organisms communicated and sensed the environment? With rising temperatures on our planet Earth, will his temperature-sensing riboceptors be relevant for understanding global warming? Are Anbalagan’s questions about biases in Nobel Prizes being awarded to theoretical physicists valid? Only time holds the answers. Dr. Anbalagan is a recipient of two NCN grants and has yet to receive his habilitation degree.

 

Related manuscript: 

1.       Gas-sensing riboceptors. Anbalagan S. RNA Biol. 2024 doi: 10.1080/15476286.2024.2379607.

2.       Temperature-sensing riboceptors. Anbalagan S. RNA Biol. 2024 doi: 10.1080/15476286.2024.2379118.