The mRNA Song

Well I am trying to decide whether to attend this year's RNA Society Conference. As I'm a neophyte to the field (my PhD thesis was on microtubules in migrating cells), I learned quite a bit at last year's meeting. But it's going to be a hectic spring and summer for me. What to do?

As I'm flipping through the RNA Society newsletter, what do I see ... the mRNA song. Apparently this first appeared in Scott Gilbert's Developmental Biology.

The mRNA Song
Tune: YMCA

Student! I was once in your shoes;
Got no staining
On my Coomassie Blues,
All my training
Was just paying my dues;
I could not get good data,

Then, someone
Said: Persulfate wonât do
And the Lowryâs
Should be flushed down the loo.
They smell flowery,
But they will not get you.
Any answers;
So study the

M-R-N-A
(yes, we study the)
M-R-N-A
It comes straight from the gene,
It can make a protein,
Itâs the code that connects
The whole cellular machine!

Then I
Got the data galore,
Got new answers,
With each gel that I pour;
With enhancers,
I can even get more.
And I churn
Out the papers.

So student,
If your work has been slowed,
Skip the protein
And go straight for the code.
Do in situs
On a fly, mouse, or toad.
Get respect
When you study the

M-R-N-A.
(Study the)
M-R-N-A.
It can run on a gel,
And it blots really well.
Itâs the way that you get
Your next paper in Cell.

M-R-N-A.
M-R-N-A.
M-R-N-A
M-R-N-A......

In a flash, I understood where BC gets his poetic talents.