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Research Area C: RNA degradation for the replenishment of nucleotide pools

P9

Patricia Bedrunka’s project performs a detailed “Structural and mechanistic characterization of enzymes and complexes mediating mRNA- and signaling nucleotide decay in B. subtilis”. Ribonucleases are central players in almost all reactions of RNA metabolism including RNA maturation, degradation, turnover and quality control. P9 will use B. subtilis as a model organism to study RNase functions and regulation in detail.

The doctoral researcher of P9 is Renuka Dharani Shivakumar

P10

The group of Peter Graumann studies the “Subcellular dynamics of enzymes involved in nucleotide synthesis and degradation”. Bacterial cells are spatially highly organized, including RNA degradation at the cell membrane and metabolism at polar regions. The dynamics of enzymes involved in nucleotide metabolism will be studied using single molecule tracking fluorescence microscopy, including the life of mRNA molecules in time and space at a single molecule level.

The doctoral researcher of P10 is Sreyas Sreekumar

P11

The project of Olalla Vázquez focuses on “Exploring macromolecular approaches for RNase E inhibition”. RNA degradation is essential for maintaining nucleotide homeostasis and thereby drives the conditional control of cellular processes, providing a handle for generating a new generation of growth inhibiting compounds. RNase E is a major RNase from Gram negative bacteria, and therefore an interesting anti-bacterial drug target. New tools from chemical biology will be employed to generate novel inhibitors and test their activity in bacterial cells.

The doctoral researcher of P11 is currently being recruited.