Giulia Palermo, University of California Riverside | Biotechnology

Group II Intron Ribozyme inspired by Vincent Van Gogh: RNA is a fundamental molecule that codes for protein and controls gene expression, playing a fundamental role in many biological processes. The genetic information contained in premature messenger RNA (mRNA) is cleared of its non-cod- ing sections, known as introns, to be converted to proteins. In several simpler organisms, this key process is carried out by group II introns, enzymes entirely made up of RNA that are able to self- cleave and remove themselves from the mRNA protein expression. Group II introns employ mag- nesium atoms to perform the “self cleavage”, which help the enzyme in acting like a “double scissors” to cleave itself. In this painting, two scissors are used to represent the splicing mechanism operated by Group II intron ribozyme. This artistic rendition is an orig- inal handmade painting of Amelia Palermo (UC Los Angeles), digitally designed and manipulated by Lorenzo Casalino (UC San Diego), over an original idea of Giulia Palermo (UC Riverside). This painting has been inspired by recently published research on the mechanism of RNA splicing. This the 61st Biophysical Society Art of Science Image Contest, 2017, February, New Orleans. It has been selected as a Cover for the May 2019 issue of the Journal of Structural Biology. | Contributors: Giulia Palermo, Amelia Palermo, Lorenzo Casalomp Contributors: Giulia Palermo, Amelia Palermo, Lorenzo Casalomp