New research reveals that a fundamental process in bacterial gene regulation called sigma cycle, long thought to involve the release of a key protein, sigma factor, might not be universal, opening new avenues for understanding and combating bacterial threats.

Image: A representation of the paper-discs with the substrate and cell free extracts together with (left to right) increasing concentrations of the sensor without trigger (yellow) compared to with trigger addition (shades of red). Credit Prof Chaitanya Athale

Researchers from the National Centre for Cell Science, Pune and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar, have identified a novel noncoding RNA that causes cancer in mice.