Quentin Thomas

Quentin Thomas

Postdoc

Transcriptional integrity is critical for all cellular functions, as mRNA transcripts are the basis for all protein products. RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is responsible for transcription of the vast majority of protein-coding genes as well as a number of non-coding RNAs. Correct co-transcriptional processing of the nascent RNA transcript is dependent on the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNAPII. In humans, the CTD consists of 52 heptapeptide repeats with the consensus sequence Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7. The CTD is dynamically phosphorylated and serves as a binding platform of RNAPII-associated factors with certain phosphorylation states enriched in the beginning of the gene and others around termination sites. RNA-binding proteins are a key group of proteins responsible for co-transcriptional processing. Many of them recognize specific phosphorylation states of the RNAPII CTD and associate with the transcription machinery at certain stages during the transcription cycle to dictate correct maturation of nascent RNA transcripts.

In Gregersen group we aim to understand fundamental biological mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation and processing of nascent RNA in mammalian cells and how misregulation of these processes contribute to human disease such as cancer. We are especially interested in understanding how proteins interacting with the CTD of RNAPII impact co-transcriptional RNA processing events and how these processes are regulated.

ID: 183888639