Unveiling RNA Editing in Disease-Causing Parasite: Scientists Reveal New Insights

Scientists at Boston University, along with collaborators from UCLA, UCI, and ShanghaiTech University, have published a paper in Science detailing the architecture of the molecular machines involved in RNA editing in the disease-causing parasite Trypanosoma brucei. This breakthrough could provide crucial information for treating African sleeping sickness, a deadly disease spread by tsetse flies. By understanding the protein structures unique to RNA editing in Trypanosoma, researchers hope to identify enzymes that can inhibit the editing process, killing the parasite without harming human cells. The study utilized cryo-electron microscopy and molecular approaches to uncover the mechanisms of RNA editing, which involve a protein complex called the editosome.