The Function of Nucleolar Proteins in Ribosome Biogenesis

Yale University, New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

Ribosome biogenesis is one of the few biological processes at the crux of cell division. The long-term goal of this research is to uncover the diverse mechanisms essential to the RNA processing events that occur during ribosome biogenesis. The objective of this particular project is to understand the first steps in processing of the precursors to the 5.8S and 25S large subunit rRNAs. The central hypothesis is that the Rlp7 protein (Rlp7p) constitutes one member of a novel complex that carries out the early pre-rRNA processing reactions that generate the 5.8S and 25S large subunit rRNAs. The rationale for this research is to attain an understanding of a new class of RNA binding proteins and how they function in RNA processing, which is likely to reveal the underlying RNA processing mechanisms. The research is innovative because it will lead to the elucidation of the function of previously uncharacterized proteins in RNA processing events that are poorly understood. This, in turn, will lead to a greater comprehension of the role of nucleolar factors in cell growth in size. The results will be significant because cell growth in size is critical to cell division. This research is focused on understanding the molecular basis for how a cell grows in size before it divides. It is a process common to unicellular organisms such as baker's yeast and to multicellular organisms such as humans. The project will elucidate the function of newly discovered proteins in cell growth.