Translational regulation by phase separation

Venue: Murray Seminar Room, Discovery Centre 

Host: Dr Jens Januschke

Abstract: Biomolecular condensates have emerged as a common cellular feature that generates unique intracellular biochemical environments without an encapsulating membrane. Many condensates have been identified in early animal development including: P granules in C. elegans; Balbiani bodies in Xenopus and zebrafish; and processing bodies (P bodies) in Drosophila. Despite considerable research, understanding of the biological function of condensates in vivo remains limited. We focus on mRNA and protein assembly, and disassembly, in response to developmental and environmental stimuli in Drosophila egg chambers and early embryos. Our most recent work show that the integrity of P bodies regulates the translation of mRNA.