Grant: Operating Grant

Cells are highly organized entities that come in many different shapes and sizes. These characteristics allow different cells to carry out essential and specialized activities throughout our body. Loss of this organization, leading to abnormal cellular behaviour, is a hallmark of cancer. Traditionally, this organization has mainly been attributed to the ability of proteins and lipids to form cellular structures and organelles. However, in previous work we found that a distinct class of molecules, messenger RNA (mRNA), are also likely to play a major role in controlling cellular organization. We will investigate how the targeting of mRNA helps cells to divide properly and to protect their DNA from damaging toxins in their environment. These processes are extremely important, as their deregulation can give rise to cancer in humans. We will use a convenient and experimentally powerful model system, the common fruit fly, to investigate these questions. Studies in simple model organisms, such as flies, have contributed immensely to our understanding of many essential cellular processes and how these are disturbed in different diseases.