RNA Molecular Biology Laboratory

The RNA Molecular Biology Laboratory (RMBL) studies the impact of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) on posttranscriptional gene regulation (PTGR). PTGR summarizes various processes acting upon coding and non-coding RNA and includes RNA maturation, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assembly, transport, translation, and turnover (Figure 1).

The recent introduction of large-scale quantitative methods, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and modern mass spectrometry (MS), allows for the first-time determination of the functional impact of RBPs on a systems-wide level and has sparked a renewed interest in the systematic characterization of PTGR processes.

Members of the RMBL focus on elucidating the function and molecular mechanisms of RNA binding proteins involved in RNA transport, RNA stability and turnover, and RNA translation. Broadly, we are pursuing four interdependent projects:

A rough categorization of interconnected posttranscriptional gene regulatory processes based on cellular compartmentalization.

  • Investigate the role of predicted AU-rich element binding proteins in determining mRNA turnover.
  • Identify and characterize the interaction network of mRNA binding transport and shuttling proteins and their RNA targets at a sequence and functional level.
  • Investigate the impact of select RBPs on translation initiation and elongation.
  • Integrate the results from our systems-level determination of cis-acting elements into high-resolution maps of posttranscriptional regulatory events.

Related NIAMS Labs

Scientific Advances

Research Fellows

  • James Marks, Ph.D., 2019-2024; Research Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University
  • Daniel Benhalevy, Ph.D., 2016-2022; Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track), Tel Aviv University, Israel
  • Amir Manzourolajdad, Ph.D., 2019-2021; Visiting Assistant Professor, Colgate University

Postdoctoral Fellows

  • Aishe Angeletti Sarshad, Ph.D., 2014-2018; Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track), Gothenburg University, Sweden
  • Suman Ghosal, Ph.D., 2016-2017; Clinical Genomics Specialist, Guidehouse/NIAID
  • Tara Dutka, Ph.D., 2014-2016; Program Director, NIH

Predoctoral Fellows

  • Alexandra Balvey Gil, 2023; Pre-doctoral Fellow, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Spain
  • Arwa Fallatah, M.Sc., 2017-2021; Postdoctoral Fellow, CCR/NCI

Postbaccalaureate Fellows

  • Emma Young, 2021 - 2023; Graduate Student, UCLA
  • Delaney Ahn, 2021-2022
  • Duncan Claypool, 2018-2020; M.D./Ph.D. student, University of Illinois in Chicago
  • Alexis Jacob, 2018-2020; Ph.D. student, Northwestern University
  • Nicole Johnson, 2017-2019; Research Program Coordinator, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  • Ana I. Correa Muler, 2016-2018; Ph.D. student, Gothenburg University, Sweden
  • Hannah L. McFarland, 2015-2017; Senior Healthcare Consultant, Deloitte
  • Charles Danan, 2014-2016; M.D/Ph.D. student, University of Pennsylvania
  • Sudhir Manickavel, 2014-2015; Resident, University of Alabama Medical School

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Posttranscriptional regulation of human endogenous retroviruses by RNA-binding motif protein 4, RBM4.

Foroushani AK, Chim B, Wong M, Rastegar A, Smith PT, Wang S, Barbian K, Martens C, Hafner M, Muljo SA

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.

2020 Oct 20;

117(42).

doi: 10.1073/pnas.2005237117

PMID: 33020268

Proximity-CLIP provides a snapshot of protein-occupied RNA elements in subcellular compartments.

Benhalevy D, Anastasakis DG, Hafner M

Nat Methods.

2018 Dec;

15(12).

doi: 10.1038/s41592-018-0220-y

PMID: 30478324

Argonaute-miRNA Complexes Silence Target mRNAs in the Nucleus of Mammalian Stem Cells.

Sarshad AA, Juan AH, Muler AIC, Anastasakis DG, Wang X, Genzor P, Feng X, Tsai PF, Sun HW, Haase AD, Sartorelli V, Hafner M

Mol Cell.

2018 Sep 20;

71(6).

doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2018.07.020

PMID: 30146314

DND1 maintains germline stem cells via recruitment of the CCR4-NOT complex to target mRNAs.

Yamaji M, Jishage M, Meyer C, Suryawanshi H, Der E, Yamaji M, Garzia A, Morozov P, Manickavel S, McFarland HL, Roeder RG, Hafner M, Tuschl T

Nature.

2017 Mar 23;

543(7646).

doi: 10.1038/nature21690

PMID: 28297718

Transcriptome-wide identification of RNA-binding protein and microRNA target sites by PAR-CLIP.

Hafner M, Landthaler M, Burger L, Khorshid M, Hausser J, Berninger P, Rothballer A, Ascano M Jr, Jungkamp AC, Munschauer M, Ulrich A, Wardle GS, Dewell S, Zavolan M, Tuschl T

Cell.

2010 Apr 2;

141(1).

doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2010.03.009

PMID: 20371350

block_1 a:6:{s:5:"limit";N;s:8:"argument";s:3:"416";s:6:"offset";N;s:5:"pager";N;s:6:"header";N;s:5:"title";i:0;} See all Publications on PubMed