Research area

Research in the Department of RNA Metabolism concentrates on molecular mechanisms of RNA metabolism in humans. 

Leading topics are (A) investigation of enzymes catalysing RNA 3’ end uridylation and effects of uridylation on different RNA species in human cells and (B) posttranscriptional regulation of retrotransposons.     

RNA uridylation depends on non-templated addition of uridines to RNA 3’ end. Uridylation is a common modification in different RNA species including mRNA, snRNA, tRNA, rRNA, noncoding RNA and different short RNAs. While in most cases uridylation leads to destabilisation of RNA or participates in its decay, the repertoire in which uridylation can impact RNA function is broader including a well-established role of monouridylation in miRNA biogenesis and a recently discovered role of uridylation in restriction of retrotransposition by interference in reverse transcription of the retrotransposon.

Repetitive sequences constitute nearly half of the human genome. Among these LINE-1 and Alu retrotransposons can still mobilize in modern humans leading to potentially mutagenic insertions. Moreover increased LINE-1 and Alu expression might result in neurodegeneration and cancer. While epigenetic silencing pathways have been studied thoroughly, post-transcriptional mechanisms and their consequences to human health are not well understood presenting a scientific challenge.

We use human model cell lines and molecular biological, biochemical, transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to reveal molecular mechanism of posttranscriptional gene regulation by uridylation and the molecular mechanisms of retrotransposons.