Molecular mechanisms of alternative splicing regulation

Alternative pre-mRNA splicing (AS) is a mechanism that allows genes to direct the manufacture of more than one protein. The different proteins produced by AS often have different functions that are suitable for the type of cell in which they are produced.

We will study AS in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which line the blood vessels and control blood pressure and flow. AS is controlled by RNA-binding proteins that bind to the RNA molecule that is copied from the DNA of genes and influence the way in which the coding RNA segments are joined together to form the instructions to make a particular protein. We recently discovered an RNA-binding protein that is a master regulator of AS in VSMCs.

This study aims to gain a deep understanding of how AS occurs in VSMCs.