Study shows RNAs do work outside of cells to guide the immune system

Images of RNA on neutrophil cell surface. Green color is RNA, whereas blue color is the nucleus. Credit: Ningning Zhang Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are the ultimate cellular insiders. They perform several critical jobs, such as ferrying genetic instructions from a living organism’s DNA to its protein-making machinery (a process key to cellular processes) and controlling which genes are activated. All of these processes are conducted within the safe confines of the cellular membrane. But in the last few years, scientists have been surprised to find RNAs on the surface of cells, too, well outside their known natural habitat. So what Read More