What is Ribonuclease?
'''Ribonuclease''' (commonly abbreviated '''RNase''') is a type of [[enzyme]] that chops [[RNA]] into smaller parts. There are many different versions of the enzyme.<ref>D'Alessio G. and Riordan J.F. eds. 1997. ''Ribonucleases: structures and functions''. Academic Press.</ref> All organisms studied contain many RNases of many different sorts. This shows that RNA degradation is a very ancient and important process. #It cleans up cell RNA which is no longer needed. #It is a first-line defence against [[RNA virus]]es. #It acts in [[RNA interference]] (RNAi), or post transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). This is a biological process in which RNA molecules inhibit [[gene expression]]. In 2006, [[Andrew Fire]] and [[Craig Mello]] shared the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] for their work on RNA interference. == References == {{reflist}} {{biology-stub}} [[Category:Enzymes]] [[Category:RNA]] [[Category:Immunology]]