Tsinghua biologists solve genetic puzzle

A team of molecular biologists at Tsinghua University reported a milestone breakthrough in molecular biology and gene expression on Sunday.

As DNA is no longer a mystery, many scientists have shifted their interest toward the manufacturing process - how the information stored in DNA is delivered to produce proteins with different functions, such as forming a person's skin, organs and hair.

On Sunday, scientist Shi Yigong and his team at Tsinghua University's School of Life Sciences, reported the structure of a substance called spliceosome, which is crucial in gene expression. Results of the team's analysis on its functioning mechanism were published in Science, the academic journal.