A brief interview with Kanwal Tariq ahead of her defense on February 21st

Kanwal Tariq will defend her thesis, "Chromatin Landscape in Transcriptional Regulation: A Case for Ribosomal Transcription", on February 21st. In her thesis, she examines the various mechanisms by which the production of rRNAs is regulated.

Photo: Sören Andersson

What do you examine in your thesis?

"Ribosomes are tiny factories that make proteins. They are made up of specific RNAs called ribosomal RNAs. My thesis examines the various mechanisms by which the production of rRNAs is regulated.

I mainly focus on a positive regulator of rRNA transcription – the chromatin remodelling complex B-WICH. I show that WSTF, a core component of B-WICH, is needed to alter the amount of rRNA being produced in response to glucose availability. It also partners up with a non-coding RNA to stabilize the machinery that makes the rRNA.

Moreover, I demonstrate that cells with reduced B-WICH levels show an integrated stress response (ISR). This mimics the developmental disorder called Williams syndrome, where cells have only one working copy of WSTF (instead of two) and thus produce only half the amount of WSTF needed."

What do you hope your research can lead to?

"Ribosomal RNAs are essential for the cells to survive and multiply. Dysregulated rRNA transcription lead to diseases such as ribosomopathies (insufficient rRNAs) and cancers (higher rRNAs). Our results provide insights into how cells respond with ribosomal transcription to changing external and internal environmental conditions. Furthermore, we bring to focus the essential function of chromatin remodelers and non-coding RNAs in cellular responses, making them powerful therapeutic agents."

What will you do after your defense?

"I will continue to work on non-coding RNAs in the foreseeable future. I would like to develop RNA based therapeutics, focusing on chromatin interacting antisense and lncRNA based solutions."

Kanwal Tariq will defend her thesis, titled "Chromatin Landscape in Transcriptional Regulation: A Case for Ribosomal Transcription," on February 21st at 09:00 in Vivi Täckholmsalen.

Go to the calender event.

Read the full thesis in DIVA by following the link.

Theme

Research subject

Molecular Cell Biology

Research group

Group Östlund Farrants

Our lab studies the functional role of chromatin changes and non-coding RNAs in gene regulation; in the regulation of ribosomal transcription in response to cellular states and in the regulation of the human immune response to pathogens.

Last updated: January 31, 2025

Source: MBW

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