Along the Central Dogma—Controlling Gene Expression with Small Molecules

Abstract

The central dogma of molecular biology, that DNA is transcribed into RNA and RNA translated into protein, was coined in the early days of modern biology. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, bacterial genetics first opened the way toward understanding life as the genetically encoded interaction of macromolecules. As molecular biology progressed and our knowledge of gene control deepened, it became increasingly clear that expression relied on many more levels of regulation. In the process of dissecting mechanisms of gene expression, specific small-molecule inhibitors played an important role and became valuable tools of investigation. Small molecules offer significant advantages over genetic tools, as they allow inhibiting a process at any desired time point, whereas mutating or altering the gene of an important regulator would likely result in a dead organism. With the advent of modern sequencing technology, it has become possible to monitor global cellular effects of small-molecule treatment and thereby overcome the limitations of classical biochemistry, which usually looks at a biological system in isolation. This review focuses on several molecules, especially natural products, that have played an important role in dissecting gene expression and have opened up new fields of investigation as well as clinical venues for disease treatment.

A description of the relationship in healthy longevity and aging-related disease: from gene to protein

“…The central dogma of molecular biology describes the conversion of DNA to RNA to protein [ 30 ]. Studies have shown that protein-coding genes account for approximately 1.5–3% of the whole human genome [ 31 ].…”

CRISPR-Mediated Engineering across the Central Dogma in Plant Biology for Basic Research and Crop Improvement

“…Overall, epigenetic changes determine the levels of gene expression and confer epigenetic memory, which allows the cells to pass on the associated plant phenotype to the next generation (Chen et al, 2017). Several factors govern the development of epigenetic memory at different layers of the CD (Schneider-Poetsch and Yoshida, 2018). Therefore, knowledge only about CD processes and the formation of the three major macromolecules (DNA to RNA to protein) is inadequate to understand the basis of epigenetic inheritance of a plant phenotype (Cobb, 2017).…”

Norepinephrine May Oppose Other Neuromodulators to Impact Alzheimer’s Disease

“…The discovery of the detailed double helix structure of DNA by Franklin, Watson, Crick and colleagues in the early 1950s played a critical role in the birth of modern molecular biology [ 1 , 2 ]. Soon afterwards, the “central dogma” of molecular biology was put forth, which describes how DNA is transcribed into (messenger) RNA, and RNA is translated into protein [ 3 ]. This model has formed a cornerstone of our understanding of intracellular physiology, and has led to much progress in describing how a variety of diseases affect cells.…”