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The wonderful dialogue between DNA and RNA: How does the transcription process change the fate of organisms?
In the world of biology, DNA and RNA are like a pair of friends, relying on each other and engaging in a dialogue about life and destiny. At the heart of this conversation lies the process of transcription, which unveils life and defines an organism's way of being. As transcriptome technology advances, researchers are able to gain a deeper understanding of how this process affects gene expression, ultimately shaping the characteristics of each organism.
The transcription process is a key step in which DNA converts its genetic information into RNA. This process is not only the starting point of life forms, but also the root of the functions of living cells.
Advances in transcriptome technology allow us to capture snapshots of all the RNA in a cell, allowing us to understand which cellular processes are underway and which are dormant. This technology can be seen as a revolution in biology. Since the first attempts in the 1990s, scientists have successively developed and improved the technology, making transcriptome an integral part of biological science.
History of the transcriptome
As early as 1991, the first partial human transcriptome study came out. This pioneering work reported 609 mRNA sequences from the human brain. Then, in 2008, scientists published two human transcriptomes containing millions of transcript sequences, marking the rapid development of this field.
However, the transcriptome did not develop overnight. As early as the 1970s, scientists had begun studying individual transcripts, including using reverse transcriptase to convert silkmoth's mRNA into complementary DNA. However, it was not until the mid-1990s that microarray technology and high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) became widespread, transforming the field.
The development of transcriptomes allows biologists to study how gene expression changes in different organisms and helps us understand human disease.
Modern Technology: Microarrays and RNA-Seq
The main technologies for modern transcriptome research include microarrays and RNA-Seq. Microarray technology allows the simultaneous detection of thousands of transcripts, while RNA-Seq acquires information on the entire transcriptome through high-throughput sequencing, making it possible to capture comprehensive transcriptional information.
The development of microarrays began in 1995, when scientists could design a series of oligonucleotide probes capable of detecting specific transcripts. RNA-Seq technology has become increasingly popular with the emergence of 454 sequencing technology. The advantage of this technology is that it can provide higher sensitivity and a larger dynamic range, allowing the simultaneous detection of low-abundance RNA.
In RNA-Seq, the abundance of mRNA is determined by counting the corresponding transcripts. The rise of this technology has quickly replaced microarrays and become the mainstream of current transcriptome technology.
Data collection and analysis
Every transcriptome experiment must extract RNA from the organism. Typically, samples are first treated mechanically and chemically to effectively remove impurities and isolate the mRNA. Subsequently, the extracted RNA will be reverse transcribed to generate complementary DNA, and further experiments may use EST (Expressed Sequence Tag) and SAGE (Serial Analysis of Gene Expression) to obtain transcript-related data.
Of course, current data analysis methods are becoming more and more mature. The emergence of many computing tools and databases allows researchers to quickly extract meaningful information from massive data, thereby revealing the regularity of gene expression and biological mechanisms.
Analyzing an organism's global gene expression can detect broad, coordinated trends that would not be visible through more targeted testing.
With the increasing maturity of transcriptome technology, people are now not limited to analyzing overall gene expression, but can also view the transcriptional information of single cells, which gives us a deeper understanding of the biological processes inside cells.
Future Outlook
Looking to the future, transcriptome technology will continue to evolve and play a role in more fields. The development of gene editing technology, coupled with in-depth research on transcriptomics, may lead to new ways to treat human diseases. However, we also need to think about whether we can find a harmonious balance between these biological technologies and our moral boundaries?
