Ago

Ago or AGO may refer to:

People

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Other uses

Argonaute

The Argonaute protein family plays a central role in RNA silencing processes, as essential catalytic components of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). RISC complex is responsible for the gene silencing phenomenon known as RNA interference (RNAi). Argonaute proteins bind different classes of small non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Small RNAs guide Argonaute proteins to their specific targets through sequence complementarity (base pairing), which then leads to mRNA cleavage or translation inhibition.

Discovery

The RNA interference (RNAi) was first reported in 1995 by Guo and Kemphues, and similar pathways collectively referred to as RNA silencing were discovered in plants and fungi. The beginning of people’s understanding of the mechanism of RNA silencing began only in 1998 with the experiments of Fire and colleagues demonstrating that double-stranded RNA triggered RNAi. RNA silencing pathways process long RNAs into small RNAs that direct the repression of transcription or translation of nucleic acid targets with sequence corresponding to the small RNAs. These single-stranded RNAs, referred to as guide strands, are incorporated into RNA silencing effectors complexes such as the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). These RNA silencing effector complexes contain Argonaute family proteins.

The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)

"The Ketchup Song" is the English title of the song "Aserejé" (pronounced [aseɾeˈxe]) recorded by the Spanish pop group Las Ketchup, which was an international hit in 2002. It was released in July 2002 as the lead single from their debut album, Hijas del Tomate. The song exists in three versions, Spanish, a version in a mixture of English and Spanish, described as "Spanglish," and a version in Portuguese. The chorus is identical in the three versions. This song reached number-one in the United Kingdom, as well as 26 other countries worldwide. As of 2006, the song has sold over 7 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Background

Las Ketchup was first introduced to Columbia Records through Shaketown Music, a small record label in Córdoba, Andalusia, who sent out the group's demo to a number of different record companies. The demo featured the songs “Asereje” and “Kusha Las Payas.” When A&R Javier Portugués and Columbia director Raúl López listened to the demo, they stared at each other in delight exclaiming, "Wow, this is fantastic!" At first the intention was to arrange a distribution deal with ShakeTown Music but upon hearing the song they realised its international potential and so negotiated for Las Ketchup to sign with Sony.