Mechanisms and impact of RNA processing on mammalian Hox genes. (360G-Wellcome-098410_Z_12_A)

The process of development is a heritable feature that relies on the assembly of complex programs of gene activity able to transform the fertilised egg into the fully formed organism. How genomic information is converted into specific pieces of morphology and behaviour is a central open question in modern Biology. The Hox genes provide an excellent system to investigate this problem. They encode a family of evolutionary conserved transcription factors whose differential expression along head- to-tail triggers distinct programmes of cell differentiation along the body axis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Hox gene activity offers an opportunity to decipher their secret ability to take cell populations into different developmental routes. Here I investigate the impact of RNA regulation on Hox gene expression and function during development. In particular, I focus on the effects of mRNA processing and microRNA regulation - two emerging areas in gene regulation - on Hox function during the formation of the nervous system. The work will contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms and biological roles of RNA regulation during the formation of the nervous system and shall add to current models on how gene regulatory programs flower out to form complex tissues such as the brain.