[Chinese scientific research team discovered that plant proteins can synthesize RNA de novo] News from West Lake University was learned on October 29 that the journal "Vita" published a discovery by the team of Professor Shi Yigong of the school's National Key Laboratory of Genetic Material Expression and Reconstruction that broke the traditional understanding: the rice protein OsNTP4 can independently synthesize RNA (ribonucleic acid) de novo under in vitro conditions. The rice OsNTP10 protein and the Arabidopsis AtURT1 protein also have similar activities. "RNA is an important nucleic acid molecule in cells, responsible for transmitting genetic information, regulating genes, and participating in protein synthesis. In the past, the scientific community generally believed that RNA synthesis must rely on nucleic acid templates, or continue to extend on the basis of existing RNA fragments." Associate researcher Zhan Xiechao of the team said that this research result has refreshed traditional understanding.