Cells use messenger RNA (blue) to ferry copies of genes from the nucleus to ribosomes (purple), where the genes can be translated into proteins. Proteins are the machinery of the cell, and enable the cell to change its behavior.
The Oberdoerffer Lab at the Center for Cancer Research discovered that certain m
odifications (shown here in green) can make the messenger RNA last longer, and ribosomes can more efficiently assemble the protein it encodes. This means more of that protein is created, which impacts cell behavior.
This image was featured in CCR Milestones 2020.