Tracy NissanStaff (Biochemistry)
Research
mRNA turnover is essential for life and is important for controlling and shaping gene expression. Our group is investigating post-transcriptional processes involving mRNA degradation as well as those linked to mRNA decay such as the control of translation. Moreover, mRNA decay factors are concentrated in discrete cytoplasmic foci in the cell, which are induced upon stress and infection. These ubiquitous structures are aggregates of RNA and protein, whose constituents, including proteins carrying out mRNA degradation, are essential for many aspects of cellular biology. Our goal is to understand the effect of these structures on the biology of the cell and further explore how the central processes of mRNA degradation and translational control impact the cell's ability to respond and adapt to stress and disease.