Lea Haarup Gregersen says: “Hereditary information within our DNA is organised in units called genes. Genes are transcribed by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) to produce RNA transcripts, which contain essential information required for our cells to function. Many genes express several alternative RNA transcripts that contain different information, for instance by utilizing different transcript termination sites. Importantly, this dynamic process takes place as RNAPII is moving across the gene (co-transcriptionally), by proteins associating temporarily with RNAPII to ensure correct RNA processing. This project is focused on exploring RNAPII-associated proteins involved in regulating RNA transcript termination, and on discovering and elucidating the function of new proteins involved in co-transcriptional processing. Our research will be important to understand how our genetically encoded information is ‘read’ by the cellular machinery. This has implications for our understanding of human diseases, such as cancer.”
Lea Haarup Gregersen will relocate from her postdoctoral position at the Francis Crick Institute, UK to set up her independent research group at University of Copenhagen in the fall of 2020.