Twenty years of bacterial RNases and RNA processing: how we've matured

By 1995, the year that publication of RNA began, the field of RNA processing was already well established. A dedicated cadre of scientists was actively engaged in studying how RNA precursors are converted to their mature, functional forms, and conferences dealing with the topic were held at regular intervals. In fact, members of the RNA processing community were instrumental in founding the RNA Society and starting RNA. What follows are the personal reflections and biases of one who has worked in the RNA processing field from very early on. Emphasis will be on advances in bacterial systems, with which I am most familiar, but readers should be aware that the last 20 years has seen an explosion of information about RNA metabolism in eukaryotic systems, leading to the realization that organisms from bacteria to mammals share much in common in their RNA metabolic processes. As a consequence, information gleaned in one organism has had important ramifications for studies in all systems.