#30DAYSOFSCIKUCHALLENGE
The Guy Can’t Help It.
A Cell Biology Sciku Haiku
A ribosome walks into a bar. “RNA?” “Sure, the usual.”
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OK. I love ribosomes. What’s a Molecular Biologist to do? If you don’t know, ribosomes are wonderful, ubiquitous — and huge! — molecular machines, which are (OK, I am being redundant) everywhere in all cells, whether archaea, bacteria, or eukaryotes. They are complex and elegant, made out of both protein and RNA. They’re have two pieces, the Small and Large Subunits. (OK, what’s in a name?)
Carl Woese, a hero of mine, was able to trace the relationships of all living things by looking at how the RNA in ribosomes has changed over time.
DNA stores information. When a cell wants to make a protein, the recipe for that protein is transcribed into a Messenger RNA, which then heads to a ribosome. The mRNA then threads between the Large and Small Subunits. The ribosome reads it and translates the info into a protein.
And there you go!
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Ribosomes are in the news! (You may not have realized it.) The two new mRNA Covid-19 vaccines (both 95% effective) work by delivering mRNA’s to make the Spike protein for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to your own cells so you can enlist your own ribosomes to make some little Spike molecules, which then float out of the cells. Your immune system sees them, says, “Who are these guys?”, makes antibodies, and trains T-Cells to catch them “If you’re ever seen in these parts again!”
The Spike protein, by itself, is harmless. It’s like the chrome bumper without the rest of the car. …But if the car + the bumper shows up, speeding and ready to cause a wreck, now the cops know who the creep is.
A ribosome walks into a bar…
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R. Rangan Ph.D. — TY for the #30DaysOfScikuChallenge again! This is fun.
