Characterisation of a novel vertebrate mRNA export pathway

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A human cell contains a specialised compartment called the nucleus which holds DNA and this is surrounded by the cytoplasm. Sections of the DNA known as genes carry the information to make proteins which are one of the principal building blocks in humans. In the nucleus, copies of genes are made called messenger RNA which then have to be moved from the nucleus through a special hole called the nuclear pore, to the cytoplasm. In the cytoplasm, mRNA is decoded to make proteins. We have discovered a new pathway for moving messenger from the nucleus, through the nuclear pores to the cytoplasm which uses a protein called UIF. In this proposal we will identify other proteins which interact with UIF and investigate how they bind to UIF. We will also investigate how UIF moves around in the cell and how UIF performs its functions in the transport of messenger RNA. These studies will help us understand how genes are turned into proteins in human cells.