RNA and Gene expression
RNA and Gene expression
The following groups perform research in this area:
Influenza virus replication at the molecular level
Influenza viruses are important human and animal pathogens. They cause widespread clinical and veterinary disease and have a considerable economic impact. Our laboratory focuses on the fundamental molecular mechanisms of influenza virus replication, aiming to understand the molecular determinants of host range and...
R-loop biology in health and disease
Our research focuses on understanding the mechanisms governing gene regulation in humans in health and disease conditions. In particular, we are interested in unusual RNA/DNA structures, called R-loops. These are three-stranded structures formed during transcription and composed of an RNA hybridising to a complementary DNA strand,...
RNA dependent DNA damage response
Genetic information stored in DNA is continuously exposed to endogenous or exogenous damaging factors. Efficient DNA damage repair is a fundamental process for every living organism. The accumulation of DNA damage affects cellular viability and leads to a variety of diseases, particularly cancer.
Structure and function of genes that regulate tumour phenotypes
Multiple cellular pathways are deregulated in tumours as a result of gene disruption, some of which alter growth and the propensity for tumour cells to invade and spread to other body sites. The importance of an experimental understanding of the basic science that underpins our knowledge of tumour...
The CTD of RNA polymerase II and elongation checkpoints
During transcription of both protein-coding and snRNA genes by RNA polymerase II (pol II), transcription and RNA processing are tightly coupled. Our most recent work has focused on understanding the mechanics of this connection.
Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in cancer.
We study post-transcriptional aspects of gene regulation, and specifically how these differ between cancer cells and their normal counterparts. One project in this area focuses on translation initiation factor eIF3e (also known as INT6), high levels of which in breast cancer are...
Gene punctuation: Transcriptional termination in eukaryotes.
We study the molecular mechanisms that define the extent of transcription units generated by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) across mammalian genomes. Especially how do protein coding transcripts differ from long noncoding transcripts in their mode of synthesis and coupled RNA processing?
Bacterial pathogenesis: molecular mechanisms to prevention
Human bacterial pathogens are a specialized subset of the array microbes we encounter as part of our flora. The group seeks to understand the basis of how pathogens colonise specific niches in the body, evade elimination by the immune system, and cause disease. We study Neisseria spp., which are leading...
Molecular pathology of post-translational modification
The group is interested in the molecular mechanisms by which pathological perturbations in the post-translational modifications of proteins (including proteolytic maturation, oligomeric assembly, ubiquitination, phosphorylation and fatty acyl modification) can lead to severe human disease. Conditions resulting from...