Post-transcriptional control of Proliferation, Stress Response & Carcinogenesis

National Institute On Aging

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

In response to external and internal signals, mammalian cells elicit post-transcriptional changes in gene expression patterns that govern the global cellular response. We are keenly interested in the mechanisms that regulate the expression of proliferative, cell cycle-regulatory, and stress-response proteins. Over the past 27 years, this Project has examined numerous RBPs, noncoding (nc)RNAs, and their influence on gene expression patterns. We have paid particular attention to their impact on the stress and proliferative response of cells, two processes that are severely impaired during aging. In the past funding period, we have continued to focus on RBPs implicated in the cellular response to mitogens and stresses, but have expanded substantially into ncRNAs linear long noncoding RNAs (lnc)RNAs and circular (circRNAs) that influence these responses. Since impaired adaptation to mitogens and cell injury underlie various cancer traits (cell proliferation and survival, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, and evasion of immune recognition), many studies in this project use cancer cells as the model system. During this review period, we have continued to collaborate with the Wang lab in examining noncoding RNAS regulating the integrity of the intestinal epithelium, RBPs implicated in cancer with the Martinez-Chantar and Lal labs and aspects of mRNA turnover/translation with LGG investigators (Wang, Maragkakis).