Dr. Utpal Bhadra
Group Leader and Senior Scientist Functional Genomics and
Gene Silencing Group Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology,
Hyderabad-500007 E-mail: utpal @ccmb.res.in
BIO-DATA: Obtained M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Advanced Cytogenetics from University of Calcutta, India. Received the "Young scientist Award" in 1991 and "Nehru Cente- nary British Fellowship" to continue his doctoral work in UK. Joined as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. Worked as a independent Faculty position in University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA during 1995-2002. One the pioneer contribu- tors to the area of Gene silencing and RNA interference technology in animals. At present working as a Senior Scientist and Group Leader in CCMB and se- lected as "International Fellow" from most prestigious "Wellcome Trust organiza- tion from UK (2004). Selected top Young investigator from "Human Frontier Sci- ence Program" the sole Research foundation of G8 countries (2003). Elected as "Fellow of UNESCO" (2007), Fellow of Australian Group of Industrial Study (2007), Fellow of National Science Academy (2007), India, "Excellent Supervisor" by France Academy of Science (2008).
WHAT IS THE GENETIC MATERIAL: DNA OR RNA ?
ABSTRACT
Genetic material can be broadly classified into two types of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA. Most comprehensive role of RNA is to convey the genetic message from DNA to functional protein, which is the battery of our all activities. For this routine job of RNA, its importance in other areas has been overlooked for a long time. The existence of several novel species of small RNA has been emerging since 1997. In depth studies of ribonucleic acid surprise us and shape our ideas that RNA is the major contributor of gene activity. Conventionally 35,000 independent DNA unit in human (commonly referred as gene) supposed to be the original blue print of our body texture. This idea was circumvented by the information that we also harbor more than 4,00,000 of small RNA. No wonder, existence of massive small RNA stands us before a conceptual puzzle and ultimately convinces that RNA might be the genetic material.
RNA interference is a novel readymade technique to determine the gene function, In this process small double stranded RNA duplex are used for depletion of gene activity at any specific tissue at any time point. We can commercialize this technique according to our requirement to inhibit virus, microbes and foreign nucleic acids from any organism. The first hint about this process was noticed just few years ago. However its power, potentiality and implication in both commercial setting and academic research made it most powerful tool in biology. The real breakthrough of this mechanism came from two landmark publications (Cell 90: 479-490, 1997; Nature 391: 806-811, 1998), We will try to snap shot a consolidate view of this magic technique and illustrate the mystery of RNA world in modern days.