Functional characterization and regulation of pumilio proteins

转录后基因调控决定了通过影响mRNA的稳定性和翻译而产生的蛋白质的量。这一过程对于细胞适应并在不断变化的环境中生存至关重要。Pumilio(Puf)蛋白家族是关键的调节因子，直接与mRNAs的一个子集相互作用，诱导它们的周转并抑制它们的翻译。然而，我们对这些蛋白质如何发挥作用的了解仍然有限。我们的目标是将遗传学、细胞生物学、生物化学和功能基因组学有效地结合在裂解酵母模型系统中，通过确定它们的mRNA靶标、转录后调控方式和蛋白质伙伴来阐明Puf蛋白在特定环境条件下的功能。我们的观点是，这项研究将导致对细胞对环境的反应中基因转录后调控的新的机械性见解。由于基因的功能从酵母到人类都是高度保守的，这些研究应该在方法和内容上与人类生物学相关。

Posttranscriptional gene regulation determines the amount of protein produced by affecting mRNA stability and translation. This process is essential for cells to adapt and survive in changing environments. The Pumilio (Puf) protein family are key regulators that interact directly with a subset of mRNAs to induce their turnover and repress their translation. However, our understanding of how these proteins function remains limited. Our goal is to apply a powerful combination of genetics, cell biology, biochemistry and functional genomics in the fission yeast model system to elucidate Puf protein function in specific environmental conditions by the determination of their mRNA targets, mode of posttranscriptional control and protein partners. Our view is that this research will lead to novel mechanistic insights in the posttranscriptional regulation of genes in the cell's response to the environment. Because the function of genes is highly conserved from yeast to humans, these studies should be relevant in approach and content to human biology.