Imaging macromolecular dynamics across scales to unravel the mechanism of Staufen1:RNA recognition

Since its discovery, Staufen1 has been studied for its involvement in a diverse set of aspects of RNA metabolism, ranging from RNA localisation to decay.

Given its pivotal role in cellular RNA metabolism, several studies have explored the mechanistic impact of Staufen1 in a wide variety of cell functions ranging from cell growth to cell death, as well as in various disease states.

There has been increasing attention on the role of Staufen1 in neuromuscular disorders, neurodegeneration, diabetes, cancer, and viral infection.

A major obstacle to our understanding of the multifunctionality of Staufen1 is the lack of structural and quantitative data, in particular on the events leading to the formation of ribonucleoparticles upon Staufen1 binding and assembly on RNA.

This project aims to identify the molecular mechanism governing the functions of Staufen1 protein, using our unique expertise in the structural and quantitative biology of protein:nucleic acid complexes, track record on Staufen1 structural biochemistry, and access to beyond-state-of-the-art technology.