How RNA can survive outside a cell in a tiny, protective bubble

Microbiologists find evidence that RNA can communicate with each other outside of a cell.

Cells release bubbles of cell membrane, called extracellular vesicles, packed with degraded RNA , proteins, and other molecules.

The discovery extended our knowledge of this ability to all three domains of life.

Noncoding RNA sequences were much more abundant in the EVs than in the archaeal cells themselves.

It was the first time that we found RNA in EVs in archaea.

Researchers aren't sure why the Haloferax microbes pack their vesicles with RNA .

RNA signals don't last long, but they don’t need to, since they can so quickly become irrelevant.

Scientists have discovered examples of cross-kingdom RNA exchange as an offensive strategy during infection.

Parasitic worms living in mouse intestines release RNA in EVs that shut down the host’s defensive immune proteins.

Bacteria can shoot messages to human cells that tamp down antibacterial immune responses.