Between transcription and translation: Redefining RNA and regulation

The diverse functional roles for RNA molecules in cells of the developing embryo have been an area of intense study in the last few years. Progress reported at the 49th Annual Drosophila Research Conference in San Diego, California highlighted many of the varied mechanistic activities for RNAs. In particular, talks at the ‘RNA Biology’ platform session provided a great deal of insight into function of RNA transcripts and their associated protein complexes. The topics covered included: (1) a large-scale screen examining the localization of mRNAs during embryonic development, (2) mechanisms of mRNA transport in different cell types, (3) localization-dependent repression of mRNA translation and (4) the activity of the RNAi machinery in insulator-mediated chromatin structures. Our journey through the modern RNA world clearly indicates that we should be considering a much more expansive role for RNAs in molecular biology.