CANCELLED - SEMINAR: Identifying the RNA targets of DBHS proteins to give insights into the internal organisation and function of a nuclear IncRNA:Protein complex

Unfortunately this event has been cancelled.

NO Longer Available

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Ellen Fortini is a PhD student at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research under the supervision of Dr Archa Fox. Here Ellen presents the work completed over the course of her PhD in the laboratory for cancer gene regulation.

Ellen s research has focused on identifying the RNA targets of a family of proteins known as DBHS (Drosophila Behaviour Human Splicing) proteins. These are multifunctional and abundant nuclear proteins capable of binding many different types of nucleic acids and influencinggene regulation via multiple mechanisms. One function of the DBHS proteins is to bind a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), NEAT1, to form subnuclear bodies termed "paraspeckles". Paraspeckles represent a valuable model system for studying lncRNA:protein interactions. Paraspeckles are also thought to play a role in controlling gene expression by sequestering specific mRNAs and proteins. Ellen has performed the first detailed analysis of the interactions between the DBHS core paraspeckle proteins, NONO and SFPQ, and the RNAs they bind. She has optimised a technique known as PAR-CLIP (Photoactivatable ribonucleoside enhanced crosslinking and immunoprecipitation) coupled with next generation RNA sequencing. Bioinformatic analysis of the deep sequencing data and various biological validations of the identified RNA:Protein interactions have resulted in the first genome wide identification and characterization of the RNA targets of the DBHS proteins. This data will provide insights into the internal organisation of a nuclear RNA:Protein complex by revealing binding hotspots for the DBHS proteins in NEAT1. Further, this work extends knowledge of paraspeckle function by identifying RNAs that are bound by the DBHS proteins as a mechanism of regulating their expression.