Schragi Schwartz “The secret building blocks of RNA”

Similar to DNA and proteins, RNA can be extensively modified following synthesis. Over 170 modifications have been documented on RNA to date, catalyzed by a diversity of typically highly conserved enzymes, many of which with critical roles in RNA structure and function and implicated in human diseases. In the first part of my talk, I will focus on N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most widespread modification on mRNA. While this modification is present at hundreds of thousands of targets transcriptome-wide, the code governing its specificity was unknown. We recently unravelled the basis for its specific deposition, leading to critical insights into the function of this modification. In the second part of my talk I will focus on ongoing efforts in the lab to systematically dissect the landscape of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) modifications across the tree of life, focusing in particular on unicellular species that can thrive under extreme physical, chemical or biological gradients. I will focus in particular on unique modification dynamics in hyperthermophiles, which appear to play a critical role in allowing ribosomes to maintain their structure at near boiling temperatures, in which they would otherwise be subjected to denaturation.