RNA editing is promising to go where DNA editing can’t

Context: On October 16, a
biotechnology company in Massachusetts in the U.S. named Wave Life Sciences
made headlines for becoming the first company to treat a genetic condition by
editing RNA at the clinical level. But for all that this is a breakthrough,
scientists had anticipated it. DNA editing makes permanent changes to a
person’s genome, and this can lead to irreversible errors. On the other hand,
RNA editing makes temporary changes, allowing the effects to fade. In a clinic,
this means a doctor can stop the therapy if a problem arises and mitigate
long-term risk.

Key points

·      
Overview: RNA
editing is in its nascent stage, yet there are already at least 11 companies
developing RNA editing methods for a range of diseases.

·      
RNA editing: RNA
editing is a genetic regulation mechanism that involves modifying RNA sequences
after transcription. It can be used to compensate for harmful mutations,
increase the production of beneficial proteins, and change the function of
genes.

Types
of RNA editing- The two main types of RNA editing are adenosine
to inosine (A-to-I) and cytosine to uridine (C-to-U).

How
it works- RNA editing involves inserting, deleting, or
modifying nucleotides in RNA sequences. This can cause amino acid deletions,
substitutions, and changes in gene expression levels. Unlike CRISPR, RNA
editing doesn't change genes.

Where
it occurs- RNA editing has only been observed in eukaryotic
tRNA, rRNA, and mRNA molecules.

Importance- RNA
editing is responsible for generating RNA and protein diversity. It's also
important for maintaining translation efficiency.

·      
Conclusion: RNA
editing is generally considered safer & less risky than DNA editing because
it does not alter genome sequence as RNA editing doesn’t introduce permanent
changes to genome & effects are transient and reversible RNA editing only
require a guide RNA editing using ADAR protein which is already found in human
cells.