Post-transcriptional control of gene expression following toxic injury

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Protein synthesis is the process by which the information in the genetic material in the cell, DNA is converted via an intermediary substrate called mRNA, into proteins. For proteins to be made the mRNA must interact with a large complex called the ribosome which consists of RNAs and proteins. Ribosomes can therefore be thought of as “molecular factories” that make proteins. They do this by decoding the genetic information that is held in the mRNA and bringing all the building blocks together to synthesise proteins. The rate at which proteins are made is very highly regulated and cells respond to alterations in the external environment, such as exposure to toxic chemicals and chemotherapeutic agents by modifying both the rate at which they make proteins and importantly the types of proteins that they make. We are studying these processes to gain a greater understanding of the cells/organisms response to toxic insult.