2006 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 144-147
Recent findings of huge numbers of non-coding RNAs and accumulating reports of gene regulation at the RNA level support the concept of “the RNA world” at the beginning of life on Earth. So the study of RNAs and their enzymes in a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus, which is believed to be a very ancient organism, may open a new door in the life sciences. We have developed an expression cloning method to classify and identify factors involved in the regulation of RNA metabolism in P. furiosus. Here I propose the value of the systematic analysis of regulatory RNAs and their binding proteins.
