Molecular memory in human AMD1 gene: mechanisms and functions

Proteins play diverse functions in our cells as catalysts of chemical reactions, scaffolds for our cell structures, parts of molecular motors, membrane channels and receptors. Their synthesis is essential for cell growth and survival in every organism and cells expend most of their energy on producing proteins. Understanding how cells regulate synthesis of specific proteins is of paramount importance for biology and medicine.

We recently discovered a regulatory mechanism that provides an RNA molecule with the ability to remember how many protein molecules have been produced from it and to shut down their synthesis when a certain limit is reached. We will characterise the mechanism behind this process and explore how commonly it is used for regulation of different proteins in human cells.