Maritere Urióstegui-Arcos, Ph.D.

Research

In the Fiszbein lab, I will explore how the DNA sequences that control a gene’s activity also influence which RNA variants the gene will produce. Every gene includes a “promoter” sequence that controls when and how often the gene will be “read” to produce a molecule of RNA. As these RNAs are being synthesized, they also undergo splicing—a process that can generate RNA variants in which different segments are included or removed. Studies have shown that the promoter not only regulates how active a gene will be, but which of its RNA variants will ultimately be made. Using a suite of sophisticated techniques in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and computational analysis, I will determine which specific sequences within the promoter drive this splicing selection and identify the factors that must recognize these sequences to allow gene activation and RNA processing to be coupled. Because many of the mutations associated with cancer alter sequences in promoter regions, I will also assess whether changes in RNA splicing selections can contribute to the malignant transformation of cells—work that could lead to novel therapies for a variety of cancers.