FOR 855:  Cytoplasmic Regulation of Gene Expression

• Subject Area: Biology
• Term: from 2007 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 33442413

Traditionally, the regulation of gene expression has been studied almost exclusively at the level of transcription. While a few examples of translational regulation were known, they were considered interesting exceptions to the general rule of regulation at the level of RNA synthesis. However, over the last few years it has become evident that several posttranscriptional, cytoplasmic mechanisms have a profound effect on gene expression. All of these mechanisms ultimately contribute to a control of protein synthesis, either directly, by affecting the rate of translation, or indirectly, by affecting the mRNA. Some of them exert a qualitative, all-or-none control, for example by complete elimination of certain mRNAs, others determine the location or cell-type, in which a particular RNA is translated, and still others have a quantitative effect, controlling the amount of protein made from a certain mRNA. The aim of the Research Unit is to study some of the most exciting aspects of these cytoplasmic mechanisms.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• A global perspective of Exon Junction Complexes in Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay (NMD) (Applicant Kulozik, Ph.D., Andreas Eckhard )
• Analysis of cytoplasmic functions of the exon junction complex (Applicant Gehring, Niels H. )
• Asymmetric protein sorting via localizd translation - The role of ZBP protein in directing mRNA localization and translation (Applicant Hüttelmaier, Stefan )
• Biosynthesis of the translation machinery: identification of regulatory factors and mechanisms (Applicant Fischer, Utz )
• Crystallographic studies on UNR, a protein important for translation and decay of mRNA, and on the RNA-induced silencing complex RISC (Applicant Ficner, Ralf )
• Effect of viral infections on the activity of cellular RNAs (Applicant Behrens, Sven-Erik )
• Posttransscriptonal regulation of the nanos mRNA in Drosophila melanogaster (Applicant Wahle, Elmar )
• Role of GW182 proteins in miRNA-mediated gene silencing (Applicant Izaurralde, Elisa )
• Structure and function of a cytoplasmic mRNA-localization complex from yeast (Applicant Niessing, Dierk )
• The GLD-2/-3 cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase complex and its mRNA targets in C. elegans germ cells (Applicant Eckmann, Christian R. )
• The role of Dicer in siRNA loading and RISC assembly (Applicant Meister, Gunter )
• Translational control of gene expression in maturing erythroid cells (Applicant Ostareck-Lederer, Antje )
• Translational control of msl-2 mRNA: unravelling a new uORF function (Applicant Hentze, Matthias )
• Zentralprojekt (Applicant Fischer, Utz )

• Spokespersons: Professor Dr. Utz Fischer; Professor Dr. Elmar Wahle