UCSC Press Release: Research center gets $1 million grant

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August 31, 1999
Contact: Tim Stephens (831) 459-2495; stephens@cats.ucsc.edu
UCSC research center receives $1 million grant from W.M. Keck Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SANTA CRUZ, CA--The W. M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles has awarded a grant of $1 million to support research at the UC Santa Cruz Center for the Molecular Biology of RNA, where scientists are unraveling the mysteries of one of the most important molecules in biology and medicine.
"Things are really starting to take off, so the grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation comes at a great time," said Harry Noller, Sinsheimer Professor of Molecular Biology and director of the center.
The grant will help support the RNA center's research projects and will also be used to fund improvements in its computer infrastructure and support visiting scientists and postdoctoral researchers, Noller said.
UCSC's Center for the Molecular Biology of RNA was established in 1992 to discover how RNA carries out its diverse functions in living cells. In less than a decade, the center has earned an international reputation for its unique interdisciplinary climate and for the creative scientific contributions made by its researchers.
"The research conducted in the Center for the Molecular Biology of RNA is of fundamental importance, and the W. M. Keck Foundation's support will ensure that this continues to be one of the top RNA research centers in the world," said UCSC Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood.
RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is the lesser-known cousin of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the substance of which genes are made. Recent advances have led to a greater appreciation of the significance of RNA molecules in biological systems. RNA plays a central role in translating genetic instructions and is an important component of the tiny molecular machines called ribosomes present in all living cells.
Significantly, bacterial ribosomes are targeted by many of the antibiotics used to fight disease. Furthermore, bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics is an increasingly serious health problem. Research on ribosomes, a major focus of the RNA center, can provide vital insights into the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and may lead to the development of new antibiotics and new ways to prevent antibiotic resistance.
RNA viruses also present serious medical challenges, causing human diseases ranging from the common cold to AIDS. Fundamental knowledge of the molecular biology of RNA gained from research conducted at the center may lead to the development of new and more effective antiviral agents.
Even the molecular origins of life itself are being traced to a primitive system that seems likely to have been based on RNA. Many scientists consider RNA the most fundamental molecule of life, embodying all of the capabilities of DNA and much more. DNA, deservedly famous for storing the genetic code in its coils, has a limited range of functions in comparison with RNA. Whereas DNA almost always occurs in a double helix formation, RNA molecules are able to fold into a wide variety of complex structures and perform a range of functions in living cells, such as directing the synthesis of proteins.
One of the important projects the new grant will fund at the RNA center is the establishment of a core facility for performing x-ray crystallography, a powerful tool for analyzing the structures of complex molecules. Investigation of RNA structure is a major focus of research in the center.
"The structural work in the center is very exciting right now," Noller said. In recent months, RNA center members have successfully determined the three-dimensional structures of several important RNA molecules, shedding new light on RNA's repertoire of functions.
Another major project the grant will help fund focuses on RNA sequencing and genomics. RNA is similar to DNA in that both types of molecules are made from four kinds of subunits joined together to form long chains.
The center's RNA Genomics Project, a collaborative effort involving both molecular biologists and computer scientists, aims to analyze the sequences of all of the RNA molecules produced by an organism, starting with simple organisms such as yeast and moving on to increasingly complex ones.
Analysis of the data generated by x-ray crystallography, RNA genomics, and other work in the center's labs is heavily dependent on the use of modern high-speed computers. The grant will establish a state-of-the-art shared computational infrastructure available to all of the researchers in the center that is crucial to these efforts, Noller said.
With so much exciting work under way in the Center for the Molecular Biology of RNA, the W. M. Keck Foundation's grant will stimulate a burst of activity, Noller predicted.
"The grant will help spur rapid progress in the center and will provide the means to nurture new research directions that we have recently initiated," Noller said.
The W. M. Keck Foundation, established in 1954 by the late William Myron Keck, is one of the nation's largest philanthropic organizations. The foundation makes grants primarily in the areas of medical research, science, engineering, and higher education.
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Editor's note: You may contact Noller at (831) 459-2453 or harry@nuvolari.ucsc.edu.

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August 31, 1999 Contact: Tim Stephens (831) 459-2495; stephens@cats.ucsc.edu UCSC research center receives $1 million grant from W.M. Keck Foundation FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SANTA CRUZ, CA--The W. M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles has awarded a grant of $1 million to support research at the UC Santa Cruz Center for the Molecular Biology of RNA, where scientists are unraveling the mysteries of one of the most important molecules in biology and medicine. "Things are really starting to take off, so the grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation comes at a great time," said Harry Noller, Sinsheimer Professor of Molecular Biology and director of the center. The grant will help support the RNA center's research projects and will also be used to fund improvements in its computer infrastructure and support visiting scientists and postdoctoral researchers, Noller said. UCSC's Center for the Molecular Biology of RNA was established in 1992 to discover how RNA carries out its diverse functions in living cells. In less than a decade, the center has earned an international reputation for its unique interdisciplinary climate and for the creative scientific contributions made by its researchers. "The research conducted in the Center for the Molecular Biology of RNA is of fundamental importance, and the W. M. Keck Foundation's support will ensure that this continues to be one of the top RNA research centers in the world," said UCSC Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood. RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is the lesser-known cousin of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the substance of which genes are made. Recent advances have led to a greater appreciation of the significance of RNA molecules in biological systems. RNA plays a central role in translating genetic instructions and is an important component of the tiny molecular machines called ribosomes present in all living cells. Significantly, bacterial ribosomes are targeted by many of the antibiotics used to fight disease. Furthermore, bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics is an increasingly serious health problem. Research on ribosomes, a major focus of the RNA center, can provide vital insights into the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and may lead to the development of new antibiotics and new ways to prevent antibiotic resistance. RNA viruses also present serious medical challenges, causing human diseases ranging from the common cold to AIDS. Fundamental knowledge of the molecular biology of RNA gained from research conducted at the center may lead to the development of new and more effective antiviral agents. Even the molecular origins of life itself are being traced to a primitive system that seems likely to have been based on RNA. Many scientists consider RNA the most fundamental molecule of life, embodying all of the capabilities of DNA and much more. DNA, deservedly famous for storing the genetic code in its coils, has a limited range of functions in comparison with RNA. Whereas DNA almost always occurs in a double helix formation, RNA molecules are able to fold into a wide variety of complex structures and perform a range of functions in living cells, such as directing the synthesis of proteins. One of the important projects the new grant will fund at the RNA center is the establishment of a core facility for performing x-ray crystallography, a powerful tool for analyzing the structures of complex molecules. Investigation of RNA structure is a major focus of research in the center. "The structural work in the center is very exciting right now," Noller said. In recent months, RNA center members have successfully determined the three-dimensional structures of several important RNA molecules, shedding new light on RNA's repertoire of functions. Another major project the grant will help fund focuses on RNA sequencing and genomics. RNA is similar to DNA in that both types of molecules are made from four kinds of subunits joined together to form long chains. The center's RNA Genomics Project, a collaborative effort involving both molecular biologists and computer scientists, aims to analyze the sequences of all of the RNA molecules produced by an organism, starting with simple organisms such as yeast and moving on to increasingly complex ones. Analysis of the data generated by x-ray crystallography, RNA genomics, and other work in the center's labs is heavily dependent on the use of modern high-speed computers. The grant will establish a state-of-the-art shared computational infrastructure available to all of the researchers in the center that is crucial to these efforts, Noller said. With so much exciting work under way in the Center for the Molecular Biology of RNA, the W. M. Keck Foundation's grant will stimulate a burst of activity, Noller predicted. "The grant will help spur rapid progress in the center and will provide the means to nurture new research directions that we have recently initiated," Noller said. The W. M. Keck Foundation, established in 1954 by the late William Myron Keck, is one of the nation's largest philanthropic organizations. The foundation makes grants primarily in the areas of medical research, science, engineering, and higher education. ##### Editor's note: You may contact Noller at (831) 459-2453 or harry@nuvolari.ucsc.edu. Press Release Home \| Search Press Releases \| Press Release Archive \| Services for Journalists
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