We follow a single methyl group from the diet, onto RNA, and into a spliced message.
Our lab works on chemical modifications of snRNA, the splicing of mRNA that those modifications steer, and how the metabolites in an animal's diet control the whole system.
RNA (epi)genetics laboratory, University of East Anglia, Norwich. Established 2020.
Three questions
What do the marks on snRNA do?
More than 150 chemical modifications exist on RNA and for most of them nobody knows the biological job. We use genetics, mass spectrometry and nanopore sequencing to find out what the enzymes that write them are for.
How do they steer splicing?
Splicing cuts out introns, and many animals also swap the 5′ end of an mRNA by SL trans-splicing. We ask how modified RNAs and splicing factors decide between those routes in the developing germline.
Who pays for the methyl?
Every methyltransferase spends SAM, and regenerating SAM needs vitamin B12 that the animal gets from its bacterial diet. We change that supply and watch what happens to methylation and gene expression.
We work in
- NematodesC. elegans
- BacteriaE. coli
- YeastS. cerevisiae
- Human cellsin culture
From the lab
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Research Professional News interview on the Global Talent Fund
On why the UK's new scheme is limited to pre-selected institutes.
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5th Joint Meeting of the Paris-area Drosophila and Nematode communities
Presenting the lab's work in Paris.
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New paper out
A new paper from the lab.
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Kasia defended her PhD thesis
Congratulations to Katarzyna Hencel on a successful viva.
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Welcoming dinner with our new PhD and MSc students
Dinner to welcome the new arrivals to the lab.
Science is fun. We keep it that way.
- Research that is robust and reproducible.
- Open-access papers, and data shared as early as we can.
- Honesty, respect, and helping each other.
- We follow what is interesting and we aren't afraid to fail.
We welcome scientists and students of all genders and nationalities, and anyone who needs extra support to follow their scientific curiosity.
No funded PhD positions are open right now, but we take students with funding from their own government or another organisation, including the China Scholarship Council and Commonwealth schemes.
How to join