Extracellular RNA

<p>Extracellular RNA (exRNA) describes <a href="/facts/RNA/HxPeNfNj">RNA</a> species present outside of the cells in which they were transcribed. Carried within <a href="/facts/Extracellular_vesicles/IbPWRG4E">extracellular vesicles</a>, <a href="/facts/Lipoproteins/FUFotgeL">lipoproteins</a>, and <a href="/facts/Protein/Jxmagu3E">protein</a> complexes, exRNAs are protected from ubiquitous <a href="/facts/Ribonuclease/Fod4qUu5">RNA-degrading enzymes</a>. exRNAs may be found in the environment or, in multicellular organisms, within the tissues or biological fluids such as venous blood, saliva, breast milk, urine, semen, menstrual blood, and vaginal fluid. Although their biological function is not fully understood, exRNAs have been proposed to play a role in a variety of biological processes including <a href="/facts/Syntrophy/WUHtX5sa">syntrophy</a>, intercellular communication, and cell regulation. The <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a> <a href="/facts/National_Institutes_of_Health/G3Eytfcc">National Institutes of Health</a> (NIH) published in 2012 a set of Requests for Applications (RFAs) for investigating extracellular RNA biology. Funded by the <a href="/facts/National_Institutes_of_Health_Common_Fund/vC7S5gyM">NIH Common Fund</a>, the resulting program was collectively known as the Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium (ERCC). The ERCC was renewed for a second phase in 2019.
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Extracellular RNA open-in-new

Extracellular RNA