Transcription, Trafficking, Translation: dissecting the spatiotemporal mechanisms underlying localised protein synthesis

Proteins are central to all processes that take place inside cells and reside at defined intracellular locations tailored to their function. DNA in the nucleus is transcribed into mRNA that migrates from the nucleus into the cytoplasm, where it is translated into proteins, which are trafficked to the location in the cell where they are required to perform their defined function. Little is known about the spatial organisation of the translation of proteins that are synthesised in the cytosol, or peripherally-associated membrane proteins. Many diseases are known to be associated with protein mislocalisation. Professors Lilley and Willis will use their award to define the spatial relationship of the transcriptome, proteome, and the processes that control this relationship, by creating global subcellular maps of proteins and mRNA following specific cellular stimulation. They will combine genomic, proteomic, quantitative cell biological and biochemical approaches, in conjunction with large-scale informatics, and will develop new methodologies and pipelines to understand the control of localised protein synthesis globally.