Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in S. cerevisiae

包括人类在内的所有多细胞生物的生长和发育都需要体内的细胞具有特殊的功能。细胞特化涉及不同细胞类型中存在不同的蛋白质，例如，肌肉细胞中的肌肉蛋白质和肝细胞中的肝脏蛋白质。细胞通过在翻译过程中使用被称为mrna的特定信号来产生单独的蛋白质。我们正在研究控制细胞中存在的蛋白质的两种机制：翻译调节和mRNA降解。翻译调控涉及的机制可以打开或关闭特定mrna的翻译，从而控制相应蛋白质的产生。mRNA的降解通过破坏相应的mRNA来阻止蛋白质的产生。

The growth and development of all multi-celled organisms, including humans, requires cells within the body to adopt specialized functions. Cell specialization involves the presence of different proteins in different cell types, for example, muscle proteins in muscle cells and liver proteins in liver cells. Cells produce individual proteins by using specific signals known as mRNAs in a process called translation. We are studying two mechanisms that control what proteins are present in cells: translational regulation and mRNA degradation. Translational regulation involves mechanisms can turn on or off the translation of specific mRNAs, thereby controlling the production of the corresponding protein. mRNA degradation blocks the production of a protein by destroying the corresponding mRNA. Translation and mRNA degradation are controlled by specific proteins, called RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), that bind to mRNAs. The work in this proposal is focused on understanding how an RBP once it is bound to an mRNA is able to influence its translation and/or degradation. We are using yeast, a simple organism to study how RBPs work and are interested in a specific yeast protein known as Vts1p. Our previous work has shown that Vts1p functions by bringing two proteins, Eap1p and Ccr4p/Not, to an mRNA and that Eap1p and Ccr4p/Not then trigger mRNA degradation. More recently, we have identified another protein, Imd3p, that Vts1p also brings to mRNAs, thereby influencing mRNA translation or degradation. The work we propose in this grant will study how Imd3p works and will ask whether Eap1p, Ccr4p/Not and Imd3p work together. If it is found that these three proteins function together we will determine how this coordination is achieved.