Analyzing the Effects of pre-mRNA Strand on Nucleolar Structure
Session Number
Project ID: MEDH 19
Advisor(s)
Dr. Sui Huang; Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Emma Freeman; Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Discipline
Medical and Health Sciences
Start Date
19-4-2023 10:35 AM
End Date
19-4-2023 10:50 AM
Abstract
The nucleolus is the center for ribosome production as well as a host of other cellular functions including genomic organization, cell cycle regulation, and cellular senescence. Previous anti-cancer drugs targeting the nucleolus are known to halt ribosomal transcription machinery, which is correlated with the disruption of nucleolar structure. To determine the key players that maintain the nucleolar structure and to identify potential targets for future drug treatments, other components of the nucleolus are under investigation. One such component is the pre-mRNA strand produced after transcription. UTP4 is a pre-mRNA processing factor that cleaves the pre-mRNA strand into smaller strands that later become the ribosomal 40s and 60s subunits. When this factor is knocked down, the long pre-mRNA strand is accumulated, and the nucleolus appears to be less likely to break up its structure even when transcription of the rDNA is inhibited. While further analyses must be conducted to fully understand the effects of retaining the long pre-mRNA strand, the preliminary experiments have shown a correlation between retention of the long pre-mRNA strand and the normal structure of the nucleolus.
Analyzing the Effects of pre-mRNA Strand on Nucleolar Structure
The nucleolus is the center for ribosome production as well as a host of other cellular functions including genomic organization, cell cycle regulation, and cellular senescence. Previous anti-cancer drugs targeting the nucleolus are known to halt ribosomal transcription machinery, which is correlated with the disruption of nucleolar structure. To determine the key players that maintain the nucleolar structure and to identify potential targets for future drug treatments, other components of the nucleolus are under investigation. One such component is the pre-mRNA strand produced after transcription. UTP4 is a pre-mRNA processing factor that cleaves the pre-mRNA strand into smaller strands that later become the ribosomal 40s and 60s subunits. When this factor is knocked down, the long pre-mRNA strand is accumulated, and the nucleolus appears to be less likely to break up its structure even when transcription of the rDNA is inhibited. While further analyses must be conducted to fully understand the effects of retaining the long pre-mRNA strand, the preliminary experiments have shown a correlation between retention of the long pre-mRNA strand and the normal structure of the nucleolus.