First Natural RNA Phosphorothioate Modifications Found in Hyperthermophilic Archaea
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A study published in Cell reports the first discovery of natural phosphorothioate backbone modifications in cellular RNA of hyperthermophilic archaea, together with the machinery that writes them. A University of Regensburg team drew on the German Archaea Center's strain collection to isolate and analyze RNA from multiple extreme thermophiles under controlled conditions. Compared with organisms living at moderate temperatures, these heat-loving microbes carry more RNA modifications, and the modifications shift with environmental conditions. The finding opens a new layer of RNA chemistry in the archaeal domain of life, though the functional roles of these backbone modifications remain to be established.
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- news.bioon.comCell Study Reveals Natural RNA Phosphorothioate Backbone Modifications and Writer Machinery in Hyperthermophilic Archaea
A study published in Cell reports the first discovery of natural phosphorothioate backbone modifications in cellular RNA of hyperthermophilic archaea, along with the machinery that writes them. A University of Regensburg team used the German Archaea Center's strain collection to isolate and analyze RNA from multiple extreme thermophiles under controlled conditions; compared with organisms living at moderate temperatures, these microbes carry more RNA modifications, and the modifications change with environmental conditions. The paper's DOI is 10.1016/j.cell.2026.08.034.
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