A NEW JOURNEY OF HU PROTEIN FAMILY : HU PROTEINS AS A NOVEL FAMILY OF NEURON- SPECIFIC REGULATORS FOR POST- TRANSCRIPTIONAL RNA PROCESSING

ISBN-13: 9783639150902 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 192 str.

Hui Zhu

Opis

Alternative splicing is a general mechanism in higher eukaryotic organisms to increase theirdiversity. In contrast to its importance, themechanism of alternative splicing regulation ispoorly understood, especially in the nervous system,where extensive alternative splicing occurs. Duringmy Ph.D. study, I identified a family of novelneuron-specific splicing regulators, Hu proteins. Mystudies provided solid evidence that support thesplicing regulatory function of Hu proteins. Twogenes that undergo neuron-specific splicing were usedas model in my research: calcitonin/CGRP and NF1. Incalcitonin/CGRP gene model, Hu proteins inhibit therecognition of the non-neuronal exon by twomechanisms: blocking the positive splicing factorsTIA-1/R and suppressing polyadenylation. NF1 is awell-studied tumor suppressor, and theneuron-specific skipping of exon 23a has beenreported to change its activity. My researchdemonstrated that Hu proteins strongly suppressrecognition of exon 23a by the splicing machinery inneurons. In summary, my research has contributedsignificantly to the understanding of thesplicing regulation in neurons.

O autorze

Hui Zhu, M.D., Ph.D., graduated from Beijing Medical University
in China before she entered the United States for graduate
study.
She received her Ph.D. in genetics at Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Zhu is currently an internal
medicine resident at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New
York.