{"id":295745,"date":"2026-11-11T08:16:02","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T08:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/course-and-conference-office\/?p=295745"},"modified":"2026-11-11T08:16:33","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T08:16:33","slug":"event-report-rna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/course-and-conference-office\/2026\/11\/event-report-rna\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The complex life of RNA’ highlights from our event reporter Luciano E. Marasco"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Key takeaways from the 2027 edition of this long-standing conference which brought together researchers to discuss recent breakthroughs in RNA biology, from molecules to organisms.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Written by our event reporter Luciano E. Marasco<\/a>, University of Oxford, UK<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Luciano E. Marasco, University of Oxford, UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RNA is a remarkable molecule shaped through creation by transcription and honed by immediate processing into a molecular structure varying from more stable to ephemeral existance. RNA took centre stage at the EMBO | EMBL Symposium \u2018The complex life of RNA<\/a>\u2019 This joined researchers together in beautiful Heidelberg to explore how RNA is made, modified, organised, and translated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme spanned co-transcriptional RNA biology, processing and modification, RNPs and condensates, translation, RNA structure, and therapeutics. Across these themes, a common question emerged: how do these numerous events in the life work of RNA molecules combine to control gene expression and ultimately, life itself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have to confess that I dislike flying and airports even more. But few things make the journey feel more worthwhile than arriving at a meeting and finding yourself among people who share your own curiosity. The welcome drinks certainly helped: a selection of at least four German beers seemed a promising sign of the days ahead. The airport queues and travel logistics soon felt comfortably distant.

Dinner began with the familiar hesitation of researchers wondering whether to strike up a conversation with the person next to them in the queue. Then the gong sounded, calling us to the opening keynote by Carmo Fonseca. Although notebooks were no longer handed out at registration, sketches of exons and introns soon began to appear, with arrows connecting molecules, mechanisms and new ideas. The scientific conversations started: the kind that continue for days, generate unexpected questions and lay the foundations for future collaborations. Put curious, passionate people together, and this is almost inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmo Fonseca\u2019s keynote was, as ever, captivating. Her description of promoter-convergent antisense transcription (PCATs) challenged us to rethink how transcription at promoters is organised and regulated. It raised a fascinating possibility: that seemingly unproductive transcription, often dismissed as noise, may help shape the local environment that determines transcription initiation and gene expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Rioplatense Spanish, we have an expression, dar manija<\/em>: to feed someone\u2019s enthusiasm, getting them increasingly excited about an idea. By the end of Carmo\u2019s talk, that was exactly what was happening. Questions sparked conversations, conversations sparked hypotheses, and we were already fuelling one another\u2019s curiosity. The meeting had truely begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second day opened with the first session on co-transcriptional biology. Archa Fox set the tone with a fascinating talk on the subnuclear polarisation of paraspeckles during confined cell migration. Her presentation prompted an unexpected association for me (as a former botanist) with plant statocytes and their role in sensing gravity: very different systems, yet both inviting us to consider how the spatial organisation of cellular components relates to orientation and responses to the physical environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was the next speaker, so I will leave any assessment of that talk to others. I presented our work on MBLAC2, combining the analysis of nascent RNA polymerase I transcripts with questions about how ribosomal RNA processing connects to global transcriptional output. What I will say is that I was honoured and grateful to be able to share my work at a meeting of this calibre, alongside researchers I have long regarded as my scientific heroes. When I first became interested in science, I could hardly have imagined it would bring me to this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later in the session, Clemens Plaschka explored the handoff of mRNA from splicing to packaging machineries, returning us to one of the meeting\u2019s central themes: how are the succession of steps in an RNA\u2019s life so perfectly coordinated?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the afternoon, the second session, \u201cRNA processing and modification\u201d, broadened our view on the chemical and functional diverse nature of RNA. Katharina H\u00f6fer explored the expanding roles of NAD-capped RNAs, introducing RNAylation as a form of post-translational modification in which RNA is covalently attached to proteins. This unexpected connection between RNA biology and protein modification challenged us to think beyond conventional RNA\u2013protein interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Postdoctoral researcher M\u00f3nica Salinas-Pena then presented a functional splicing network that identified poly(A)-binding proteins as targets of small-molecule splicing modulators. By altering the spatial organisation of these proteins and RNA, these compounds provide tunable tools to investigate the interplay between splicing and RNA 3\u2032-end processing. Sinem Saka then brought in a complementary technological perspective. She show-cased approaches that combine programmable DNA amplification, multiplexed imaging and proximity detection into the study of RNA localisation, life-cycle stages and in situ molecular associations. Her work illustrated how we can move beyond asking where RNAs are to understanding what they are actually doing within cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, Alexander Maman\u2019s talk was the highlight of the meeting. Here was a brilliant PhD student presenting a remarkably fresh new paper in Cell<\/em> and fulfilling the dream of naming a newly discovered enzyme after his mother! His work on natural RNA phosphorothioates and their writer machinery showed how a good question can grow into a compelling scientific story. This was achieved by careful experimentation and collaboration across disciplines and even continents. It was a beautiful example of hypothesis-driven research, with a personal touch that made the discovery all the more memorable. To finish the day, Chuan He\u2019s keynote on transcriptional regulation by RNA methylation and small RNAs provided a fitting conclusion that demonstrates the depth of insight that has made him a leading figure in RNA biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third morning began with the third session on \u201cRNPs and condensates\u201d. Sebastian Falk opened with impressive work, by his postdoc Virginia Busetto, on how the CPUG complex coordinates RNA cleavage and poly(UG) tailing during small RNA amplification in C. elegans<\/em>. Their elegant mechanistic model linked cleavage and pUG tail addition to the production of secondary small RNAs. These data raise intriguing questions that will  ultimatley illuminate about how target RNAs are recognised and how these steps coordinate to ensure specific gene silencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyungmin Baeg, a PhD student in Olivier Duss\u2019s lab, offered another example of how carefully designed experiments and critical thinking can illuminate fundamental aspects of cellular organisation. Using Cy3\/Cy5 fluorescence and single-molecule approaches, he explored how active transcription and the local accumulation of nascent RNA promote protein nanocluster recruitment during paraspeckle assembly. His talk, together with the posters presented by other members of the Duss group, stood out to me for their experimental clarity and mechanistic insight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The afternoon continued with the fourth session, \u201cRNA structure and regulation\u201d. Danny Incarnato\u2019s fascinating talk sparked many ideas for me about how RNA can act as a molecular thermometer, switching between structures to regulate translation in response to temperature. He also showed how alternative RNA conformations can favour translation of either a main open reading frame or an upstream ORF, highlighting the regulatory potential of RNA structure and the possibilities for targeting it therapeutically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ankur Jain\u2019s performance was another personal highlight. The idea that evolution has shaped mRNA sequences to limit unwanted RNA\u2013RNA interactions and aggregation was particularly thought-provoking. His comparisons of native and shuffled sequences suggested that stable intramolecular folding helps maintain transcriptome solubility. Alongside protection by ribosomes and RNA-binding proteins, this offered a compelling perspective on how the physical properties of RNA influence its sequence and behaviour within cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The posters sessions deserve a special mention: many posters contained enough exciting science for a talk of their own. Exploring posters up and down the two helices of the amazing EMBL Advanced Training Centre (ATC) felt like wandering through an almost endless scientific banquet, with something for every taste. Both poster sessions felt far too short, but the discussions carried on well beyond their allotted time. \u201cLet\u2019s go back up the helix and I\u2019ll show you\u201d became a recurring invitation to continue a conversation or follow an idea further. In that sense, the posters formed one continuous session, from the moment they were mounted until the conference party. Here participants could still be seen taking them down to avoid leaving behind their science in Heidelberg!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth day opened with the fifth session, \u201cCo-translational RNA biology\u201d. Allen Buskirk presented an elegant mechanistic story showing how ribosomal protein bL9 helps preserve translational fidelity when ribosomes collide. Through carefully designed experiments, he demonstrated how disrupting bL9 promotes collision-dependent frameshifting. This links ribosome traffic to the accuracy of protein synthesis. His talk illustrated how dissecting the role of a single ribosomal component can reveal fundamental principles of translational quality control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The connections between translation and disease came into focus in Ana\u00efs Astier\u2019s talk. Combining structural biology, ribosome profiling and proteomics, she investigated RPS15 mutations associated with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Her results linked codon-specific defects in tRNA accommodation to reduced translation of transcriptional regulators, revealing how ribosomal dysfunction can reshape gene expression far beyond its immediate effects on protein synthesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne Willis then extended this theme with an inspiring presentation on RNA-binding proteins in mesothelioma development and therapy resistance. Her work explored how damage to RNA and ribosomes influences cellular behaviour and responses to treatment. What particularly struck me was the connection between fundamental questions about translational control and the urgent challenge of understanding why cancers resist therapy.
The afternoon presented the sixth and final session, \u201cRNA pathogens and therapeutics\u201d. The standard was outstanding, with every speaker deserving a dedicated section in this report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrzej Dziembowski presented a fascinating account of how cells reshape the fate of endogenous and therapeutic mRNAs through poly(A) tail regulation. His findings on vaccine mRNA re-adenylation and the contribution of TENT5A to antigen production and immune responses connected fundamental RNA biology with mRNA therapeutics. Particularly striking was the observation that greater RNA abundance can coexist with shorter poly(A) tails, challenging a simple relationship between tail length and mRNA stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Narry Kim explored how viral RNA regulatory elements recruit cellular machinery to influence RNA stability and translation, with implications for therapeutic RNA design. Sebastian Kadener\u2019s systematic in vivo circRNA screen revealed regulatory mechanisms controlling neural function and ageing. Together, these talks captured the breadth and creativity of a field that continues to surprise us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juan Valc\u00e1rcel\u2019s introduction to Adrian Krainer\u2019s closing keynote traced an extraordinary scientific journey: from pioneering in vitro splicing experiments in the Maniatis laboratory to the discovery of SRSF1, and then his central role in developing Spinraza for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). A particularly memorable aside concerned the naming of the splicing \u201clariat\u201d. As the anecdote went, my PI, Nick Proudfoot, then a postdoc in the Tom Maniatis lab, suggests that the term \u201clariat\u201d was conceived during a Maniatis lab meeting. He described how this was adopted instead of the more obvious word \u201classo\u201d as this latter name felt a bit too close to American cowboy movies. These personal glimpses into the history of the field made its milestones feel wonderfully human. Krainer\u2019s career offered a powerful reminder of why curiosity-driven basic research deserves sustained support: understanding a fundamental mechanism can open paths to treating diseases that once seemed beyond our reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian Krainers keynote lecture led RNA research to pancreatic cancer. He showed how splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides that target AURKA 5\u2032 UTR can disrupt an oncogenic circuit involving SRSF1, AURKA and MYC. Promising preclinical results illustrate how decades of research into splicing continue to reveal therapeutic possibilities. For me, it was a fitting conclusion to the meeting: a celebration of basic scientific curiosity and its potential to change lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a particular sadness to realise that this science summer camp has come to an end. After almost a week of shared curiosity, lively discussions and new friendships, it is time to say goodbye and wait another couple of years to regather. Yet we return home full of ideas and eager to get back to the stubborn, sometimes gruelling work of doing science. The next advances in RNA biology will grow from our questions, our collaborations and, of course, our pipettes. Now it is our turn to convert that enthusiasm into discoveries worth sharing at the next edition of \u2019The complex life of RNA\u2018. See you all there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Have a look at the interview series Luciano filmed with participants during #EESRNA:<\/p>\n\n\n\n