non-coding RNA regulation in cancer and neuronal diseases
Name:
mingyi xie
Email
mingyi.xie@ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 273-8171
Faculty Department/Division
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
This project is primarily:
Basic
Research Project Description:
microRNAs are the shortest non-coding RNAs that can negatively impact gene expression. microRNAs affect diverse cellular pathways critical to human development and disease, underscoring the need to understand how their levels are regulated. Recent efforts from my lab have focused on how the microRNAs can be specifically degraded. Degradation is conferred by one microRNA binding with another RNA sequence, called a “trigger” sequence. Using bioinformatics and machine learning, we searched in various cancer cell lines, and identified hundreds of potential trigger sequences. We are now investigating microRNA degradation in the context of colorectal cancer, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Future efforts in our lab and in the field will focus on precisely mapping triggers in diverse biological systems and determining their functional importance.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
Zebrafish as a pre-clinical model for NeuroAIDS
Name:
Dr. Brittany Magalis
Email
brittany.magalis@louisville.edu
Phone
(540) 383-1395
Faculty Department/Division
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
This project is primarily:
Basic
Research Project Description:
Given the recent success in humanization of the zebrafish immune system, as well as its advantages over other animal models, we aim to determine the applicability of this animal for pre-clinical studies of HIV infection of the brain in the context of antiretroviral therapies.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No