|
| |
Human and viral genes are complex genetic units of information that are tightly regulated. The laboratory studies three aspects of this regulation: the interface between synthesis of mammalian messenger RNAs and the processing events required to mature these transcripts, the alternative processing of these messenger RNAs to produce multiple proteins from one gene, and the regulation of gene expression in human pathogenic flaviviruses.
In the great majority of human transcripts coding information is found in short exons that are identified and ligated together in the process known as pre-messenger RNA splicing. The complex nature of genes provides for versatility of expression because one gene can encode for many proteins by altering the selection of exons to be included in the messenger. This process is known as alternative splicing and it is the major engine of proteome diversity in humans. Alternative splicing is tightly regulated in normal development and is deregulated in disease. The evolution of alternative splicing probably accounts for the possibility to maintain a limited number of genes while increasing tissue diversity. More ... |
|
 |
|
