Exploring the wild unknowns of gene regulation
RNA is to DNA what photocopies are to precious books in library stacks. An abridged reproduction with a temporary existence. Mailed out from the library into the unruly, raucous world. But what happens to that reproduction? What controls its fate?
We want to uncover what awaits messenger RNA after it is exported to the cytoplasm and to understand how the complex machines of protein production and mRNA destruction connect with each other. Why are some mRNAs are destroyed quickly, but others slowly? Why is an mRNA stable in one biological context, but not in another? And how does translation impact mRNA stability?
mRNAs are fascinating, diverse creatures, and understanding their fate lies at the heart of our exploration.
“One day, long ago,
RNA learned how to move,
and so life began.”
