ABOVE: GlycoRNAs join glycolipids and glycoproteins as part of the cell's sugar-coating.
RYAN FLYNN
The emergence of nucleic acids and that of proteins have sometimes been called the first and second evolution revolutions, as they made life as we know it possible. Some experts argue that glycosylation—the addition of glycans to other biopolymers—should be considered the third, because it allowed cells to build countless molecular forms from the same DNA blueprints. It’s long been believed that only proteins and lipids receive these carbohydrate constructs, but a May 17 paper in Cell that builds upon a 2019 bioRxiv preprint posits that RNAs can be glycosylated, too, and these sugar-coated nucleic acids seem to localize to cell membranes.
Anna-Marie Fairhurst, who studies autoimmunity at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore, describes the study as exciting. “Obviously, it’s the first time ever that we’ve seen this with RNA,” she says, adding ...
