Isabella Whitworth’s doctoral defense: Advancing Technologies to Study RNA and its Protein Interatome.
Abstract: Ribonucleic acid or RNA is one of the fundamental building blocks of life. It plays a critical role in the flow of information in the cell by serving as a temporary copy of a gene which can then be translated into a protein, the main actors of the cell. However, RNA’s functions extend beyond merely a temporary copy of parts of the genome. RNA is involved in nearly every critical process in the cell: transcription, splicing, protein synthesis, posttranscriptional gene regulation, and protein regulation. These complex functions are governed not only by RNA’s sequence, but also by its protein interactors and chemical modifications to the bases. Therefore, characterizing these is crucial to a comprehensive understanding of RNA. Here, we will describe the development and application of mass spectrometry-based strategies to characterize specific RNAs and their interactors.
Meeting link will be emailed to the department.