The regulation of gene expression by small non-coding RNAs

In the past decade the finding of small non-coding RNAs has entirely revolutionized the way we think about the regulation of gene expression. One mechanism of negativ gene regulation by small RNAs is RNA interference (RNAi) or the siRNA pathway. Post-transcriptional silencing by RNAi is initiated by double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) that are processed into short interfering RNAs (siRNAs). siRNAs get incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) which ultimately target homologous mRNAs for degradation. The proposed research project builds on results from my postdoctoral time. I conducted a genome-wide screen for components of the siRNA pathway and identified several novel candidate genes in Drosophila cultured cells. Thus, the main focus of my research program is the biochemical characterization of these novel candidate genes. This will allow the identification of their role in the siRNA pathway.