After posting some microtubule stuff, it's time for an entry about mRNA.
RNA granules are very intriguing. They are thought to transport RNA in some cell types such as neurons or Oocytes, and store/degrade mRNA in other cell types. Recently the RNAi machinery is thought to localize to some of these dense structures too. How are the granules/processing bodies formed? Well it turns out that proteins thought to have prion like properties (TIA-1 and CPEB) may serve as scaffolds that support these granules. To read more check out this review in the latest JCB.
Ref: Paul Anderson and Nancy Kedersha. RNA granules JCB (2006) 172:803-808
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