Stockholm university

Research group Group Visa

Our research aims at understanding the mechanisms by which RNA and RNA degradation by the exosome contribute to chromatin regulation, gene expression and genome integrity.

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Group description

The organization of the DNA into chromatin and the maintenance of the integrity of the genome are essential biological processes. Research from many laboratories has provided knowledge about the proteins that are responsible for these processes. More recently, we have learned that not only proteins but also RNAs play important roles in genome organization, gene regulation and DNA repair. Eukaryotic genomes are transcribed to a much larger extent than initially anticipated, and different types of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been identified. Some of these ncRNAs regulate chromatin structure and gene expression, and their biogenesis and turnover depend on the activity of the exosome, an enzymatic complex that is responsible for the processing and degradation of many RNAs in eukaryotic cells. Our research addresses the following specific questions:

  • chromatin associated RNAs, their functions and the roles of the exosome in maintaining chromatin homeostasis
  • RNA synthesis and degradation at DNA double-strand breaks
  • non-canonical roles for snoRNAs in chromatin regulation and gene expression

We use the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to study chromatin-associated ncRNAs and to investigate the roles of snoRNAs in chromatin regulation and gene expression. We use mammalian cell systems for studies of DNA repair. Our research combines biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and high-throughput methods such as RNA-seq, ChIP-seq and ATAC-seq.

Our research provides fundamental knowledge about basic genetic processes. Our work is also interesting from a biomedical perspective. Novel strategies to treat human diseases, including cancer and neurological disorders, target chromatin regulatory pathways and DNA repair factors. The exosome itself has been linked to human diseases and proposed as a possible target for therapeutic intervention. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of chromatin regulation and exosome function is of outmost strategic relevance.

Keywords: 
Non-coding RNA, exosome, RNA degradation, DNA repair, chromatin, eukaryotic gene expression
 

Group members

Group managers

Neus Visa

Professor, Head of Department

Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute
Neus Visa

Members

Elin Enervald

Researcher

Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute
Elin Enervald

Sara Haloua

Student

Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute

Akshit Jain

Phd Student

Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute
Akshit Jain

Shruti Jain

Researcher

Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute
Shruti Jain

Indranil Sinha

Forskare

Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute
Indranil Sinha

Eduardo Sagredo

Postdoctor fellowship

Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute

Anne von Euler Matell

Researcher

Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute
Anne von Euler

Research projects

Publications

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