Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed RNA molecules, supporting a wide diversity of functions. While aberrant circRNA expression stands as a recognized hallmark of cancer development, our attention has turned to investigating their role in viral infections, specifically (GaHV-2, Marek's disease virus) infection. In a previous study focused on the virulent GaHV-2 strain, RB-1B, we extensively catalogued circRNAs produced from virulence genes, notably from the MEQ-vIL-8 and the latency-associated transcripts (LATs) gene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are a class of eukaryotic non-coding RNA molecules whose precursor transcripts are capped and polyadenylated. However, these end modifications are detrimental to snoRNA function and must be removed, a process typically involving excision from introns and/or endonucleolytic cleavage. For RNA precursors that host multiple snoRNAs, the sequence of maturation events is potentially important, but not well understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe harsh climate of Arabia has posed challenges in generating ancient DNA from the region, hindering the direct examination of ancient genomes for understanding the demographic processes that shaped Arabian populations. In this study, we report whole-genome sequence data obtained from four Tylos-period individuals from Bahrain. Their genetic ancestry can be modeled as a mixture of sources from ancient Anatolia, Levant, and Iran/Caucasus, with variation between individuals suggesting population heterogeneity in Bahrain before the onset of Islam.
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