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April 10, 2008
4:00 pm
A103 Chemistry
[more information] |
The Birth and Travels of RNA
Dr. Robert H. Singer, Ph.D.
Professor & Co-Chair, Anatomy & Structural Biology
Professor of Cell Biology, Professor of Neuroscience
Yeshiva University, Bronx, New York |
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Studying the Birth and Travels of RNA
Work in the Singer laboratory is focused on the expression and
travels of RNA within cells - from sites of birth to ultimate
biological destiny in the cytoplasm where RNA is translated
to make proteins in specific locations. Their new technology,
based on in situ hybridization, allows them to visualize specific
nucleic acid sequences within individual cells using high-resolution
digital imaging microscopy. The clinical application of this
technology allows, inter alia, for the molecular diagnosis of
cancer cells. As an additional result of this approach, they
have found specific RNA sequences located in particular cellular
compartments. As such, transcripts are not freely diffusing
but rather appear to be spatially associated with a cellular
matrix or skeleton from the moment of their synthesis through
translation. They are investigating how this spatial information
is encoded within the gene and how the RNA transcript is processed
within the nucleus and then transported to its correct compartment
in the cytoplasm. They have constructed genetically altered
cells to elucidate the sequences responsible for mRNA localization.
A reporter gene can be "delivered" to a variety of
cellular compartments by using specific sequences, or "zipcodes"
from the mRNAs found in those compartments. These "zipcodes"
consist of short sequences in the 3' untranslated region of
the mRNA. So far, Singer's group has isolated and cloned several
proteins that bind to "zipcodes" and decode their
information. Recently, they also developed a technology that
allows them to visualize fast RNA movements in living cells
to characterize how cellular motors connect with and drive the
RNA.
http://singerlab.aecom.yu.edu/people/rhs.htm |
