Cytoplasmic polyadenylation in NIH3T3 cells

基因表达的调控决定了细胞中特定蛋白质的水平，并可以通过多种方式进行控制，以实现生长和预防疾病等过程。胞质聚腺苷化是这种调节的一种形式，通过这种调节可以控制mRNA的蛋白质生产。它在卵子中非常重要，在大脑中也被检测到。然而，尚不清楚它是否在任何其他类型的细胞中起作用。我们最近发现，当成纤维细胞附着在新表面时，细胞质聚腺苷酸化也会发生。成纤维细胞是皮肤细胞，它们的附着有助于皮肤愈合。成纤维细胞的特化程度远低于卵细胞或脑细胞，这表明细胞质聚腺苷酸化可能是一种普遍现象。我们现在正计划研究成纤维细胞中胞质聚腺苷酸化的广泛程度，以及这一过程需要哪些蛋白质。在这个项目中收集的数据最终将与许多医学问题相关，例如伤口愈合和癌细胞在体内的扩散。

Regulation of gene expression determines the level of specific proteins in a cell and can be controlled in many ways to allow processes such as growth and the prevention of disease. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation is a form of this regulation by which the production of protein from an mRNA can be controlled. It is very important in eggs and has also been detected in the brain. However it is not clear whether it plays a role in any other types of cells. We have recently shown that cytoplasmic polyadenylation also occurs when fibroblasts attach to a new surface. Fibroblasts are skin cells and their attachement contributes to skin healing. Fibroblasts are much less specialised than eggs or brain cells, indicating that regulation by cytoplasmic polyadenylation may be a general phenomenon. We are now planning to investigate how widespread cytoplasmic polyadenylation is in fibroblasts and what proteins are required for this process. The data gathered in this project will ultimately have relevance for many medical problems, such as wound healing and the spreading of cancer cells through the body.