“Unveiling the Truth: How RNA, Not DNA, Triggers Acute Sunburn”

Throughout the years, we have been informed that sunburn harms the DNA, resulting in cell death and inflammation. However, a recent study performed on mice and human skin cells has revealed that this is not the complete truth. The scientists discovered that rather than affecting the DNA, the immediate effects of sunburn were primarily due to damage to the RNA. The aim of the research was to investigate the influence of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the skin and the causes of such damages. The investigators observed that the same skin reaction to UV radiation appears in both mice and human cells. The findings of the research were published in the journal Molecular Cell.

RNA resembles DNA, yet while DNA is enduring, RNA is a more ephemeral molecule. A specific type of RNA, referred to as messenger RNA (mRNA), operates as the intermediary ‘messenger’ that conveys information from DNA to synthesize proteins—the fundamental components of cellular structures.

Damage to mRNA initiates a response in ribosomes (protein complexes that “interpret” the mRNA to produce proteins), coordinated by a protein known as ZAK