The four Rs of RNA-directed evolution
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2026

In Vitro Directed Evolution of a Restriction Endonuclease with More Stringent Specificity
Published on: March 25, 2020
1Department of Genetics and Genomics, Boston University School of Medicine, 715 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. aherbert@bu.edu
Abstract:
The way we quantify the human genome has changed markedly. The estimated percentage of the genome derived from retrotransposition has increased (now 45%; refs. 1,2), as have the estimates for alternative splicing (now 41-60% of multiexon genes), antisense transcription (now 10-20% of genes) and non-protein coding RNA (now approximately 7% of full-length cDNAs). Concomitantly, the estimated number of protein-coding genes (now approximately 24,500) has decreased. These numbers support an RNA-centric view of evolution in which phenotypic diversity arises through extensive RNA processing and widespread RNA-directed rewriting of DNA enables dissemination of 'selfish' RNAs associated with successful outcomes. The numbers also indicate important roles for sense-antisense transcription units (SATs) and coregulatory RNAs (coRNAs) in directing the read-out of genetic information, in reconciling different regulatory inputs and in transmitting epigenetic information to progeny. Together, the actions of reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic and replication constitute the four Rs of RNA-directed evolution.
Related Concept Videos
Bacterial RNA Polymerase
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
RNA-seq
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while microarray-based...
Experimental RNAi
RNA Editing
Bacterial Transcription
Transcription can be divided into three main stages, each involving distinct DNA sequences to guide the polymerase. These are:
Ribosome Profiling
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique helps...

