Regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional and translational levels is fundamental to all biological activities and is frequently altered in disease states. Our broad research interests are (i) to elucidate how the transcription and translation processes control the cellular response to environmental stimuli; (ii) to reveal the connections between the transcription and translation processes, and (iii) to develop tools to manipulate these processes for potential treatment of cancer, chronic inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. We address these issues utilizing several biological systems:
- NF-κB, the major pro-inflammatory transcription factor
- Spt4/Spt5 (DSIF), a transcription elongation factor involved in stress responses and a prime target for inherited neurodegenerative diseases
- TISU, a dual transcription and translation regulatory element
- Regulation of translation initiation by stress and mitogenic signals
- RNA modifications as mediators of the crosstalk between gene expression stages
