Preface/Front Matter

Abstract

Why a book in 1997 on RNA Structure and Function? Over the last 10 years, the number of scientists working on the biology of RNA has increased at an astonishing rate. Different RNA societies have been created, and meetings on tRNA, the ribosome, RNA processing, and so forth each have more demands than places available. RNA research is developing into completely new areas. In addition to its previously recognized roles as a repository of genetic information and as an essential carrier of this information within the cell, RNA is an extremely versatile and flexible molecule, able to interact with many other macromolecules in diverse and highly specific ways. The discovery that RNA can have a catalytic role revolutionized thinking about both the present function of RNA and the evolution of biological systems. The use of designer antisense RNAs and ribozymes makes RNA a powerful research and therapeutic tool for specific inhibition of target RNA function. Posttranscriptional control is emerging as a major focus of investigation.

The astonishing variety of RNA activities is attributed to its peculiar structure-building capacity. For many years, the three-dimensional structures of only a few tRNAs were known. More recently, the capacity to produce large quantities of specific RNA molecules by chemical and enzymatic means has facilitated structural analysis. However, due to its complex and versatile nature, RNA structure determination remains an arduous task, and innovative alternative complementary strategies have been developed to experimentally elucidate complex RNA structures in solution.

Many of the current models describing mRNA