Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in S. cerevisiae

包括人类在内的所有多细胞生物体的生长和发育都需要体内的细胞具有专门的功能。细胞特化涉及不同细胞类型中不同蛋白质的存在，例如，肌肉细胞中的肌肉蛋白和肝细胞中的肝蛋白。细胞通过使用称为mRNA的特定信号在称为翻译的过程中产生单个蛋白质。我们正在研究两种控制细胞中蛋白质存在的机制：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降解通过破坏相应的mRNA来阻断蛋白质的产生。翻译和mRNA降解由特定的蛋白质控制，称为RNA结合蛋白（RBP），与mRNA结合。该提案中的工作重点是了解RBP一旦与mRNA结合如何能够影响其翻译和/或降解。我们正在使用酵母，一种简单的生物来研究RBP如何工作，并对一种称为Vts 1 p的特定酵母蛋白感兴趣。我们以前的工作表明，Vts 1 p通过将两种蛋白质Eap 1 p和Ccr 4p/Not引入mRNA来发挥作用，然后Eap 1 p和Ccr 4p/Not触发mRNA降解。最近，我们发现了另一种蛋白质Imd 3 p，Vts 1 p也会将其带到mRNA中，从而影响mRNA的翻译或降解。我们在这项资助中提出的工作将研究Imd 3 p如何工作，并将询问Eap 1 p，Ccr 4p/Not和Imd 3 p是否一起工作。如果发现这三种蛋白质共同发挥作用，我们将确定这种协调是如何实现的。

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.