Transcription and RNA processing in living cells
We have established experimental systems in budding yeast, zebrafish embryos, and mammalian tissue culture cells to explore transcription and splicing regulation in a variety of biological contexts and with diverse tools, from imaging to genome-wide approaches. Recent discoveries include 1) terminal exon pausing, in which RNA polymerase II pauses before gene ends to permit co-transcriptional splicing and 2) the essential role of the Cajal body in zebrafish embryogenesis; the CB supports high levels of splicing by promoting spliceosomal snRNP assembly.
Keywords
Pre-mRNA splicing / ribonucleoproteins / nuclear organization & dynamics / Cajal bodies / transcription