IMIB - Institute for Molecular Infection Biology

Biochemical dissection of RNA-protein complexes in the host response to infection

The advent of next-generation sequencing technology has revolutionized our understanding of the human genome. Among the most remarkable findings was the unexpected identification of thousands of genes producing so called long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). LncRNAs share many properties with protein coding messenger RNAs (mRNAs), however they do not serve as templates for protein production. Several studies have shown that lncRNAs are expressed in a tissue-specific and tightly regulated manner. Importantly, many lncRNA are specifically regulated in the host reponse to infection - making them promising new targets for infection research.

Since the genetic code underlying lncRNA function remains unknown, the functional dissection of lncRNAs is highly challenging and frequently demands the development of novel laboratory techniques. I apply state-of-the-art technologies to study how lncRNAs interact with other biomolecules, particularly proteins to form functional protein-RNA complexes. I aim to understand how lncRNAs function on a molecular level and which cellular pathways they can influence, focusing on lncRNAs linked to infections.