In the early stages of an RNA revolution, the potential of RNA technology to transform human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, and industry, is emergent in much the same way as the advent of recombinant DNA in the 1980s, which created and disrupted products and markets. The revolution has been heralded by the realization that RNA plays a more fundamental role in biology than that reflected in the classical central molecular biology dogma—DNA to RNA to protein to phenotype. The new consensus is that RNA plays a more fundamental role in biology, directly regulating protein function and phenotype. Non-protein coding RNA accounts for more than 95% of the transcriptional output of human, animal, and plant genomes and regulates gene expression, chromatin remodeling, and cellular growth. The number of noncoding RNAs exceeds that of protein-coding RNAs, including inherited changes, significantly increasing the number of inherited genes.

This textbook offers a comprehensive overview of the biology of RNA and is a companion volume to The Biology of RNA: The Fundamentals, The Practical Applications of RNA: Medicine, and The Practical Applications of RNA: Agriculture and Industry. Chapters are structured to enhance learning and retention with the use of overviews, learning objectives, and clearly highlighted key concepts, definitions, and points to remember. Chapters are rounded out with case studies, exercises, and quizzes to encourage readers to think and apply new knowledge. Capturing the state of research and offering insight on emerging topics and future knowledge trends, this textbook is a pivotal resource for advanced students and researchers in molecular biology, and any reader interested in learning more about this rapidly advancing field. 

Dr. Willaiam A. Haseltine, Founder of Human Genome Sciences, Founder and Chair of ACCESS Health International, former Professor at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and Professor of Regenerative Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. With over 50 years of experience, he has worked extensively with RNA. He co-discovered enhancers during his professional work at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Later, as founder and CEO of Human Genome Sciences, the company became the first in the world to isolate a complete set of protein-coding messenger RNAs and hundreds of thousands of other noncoding mRNAs. He continues to work on the fundamental role of RNA in biology and its medical applications.

Dr. Roberto Patarca, MD, PhD is the Chief Medical Officer at ACCESS Health International,former faculty at Harvard Medical School and the University of Miami, and medical device company executive and has published over 100 manuscripts and nine books, served as Editor-in-Chief and Book Series Editor for Haworth Medical Press, and was elected member of the Academy of Sciences of Latin America. Their contributions have sparked progressive dialogues within the scientific community.