Olivia Rissland, PhD

Translation and mRNA decay

We study how control of translation impacts mRNA decay. Typically, inhibiting translation initiation is thought to precede and cause mRNA decay, but we want to understand how else these two processes are connected. Do other steps in translation also change mRNA stability? Are there biological contexts where translational inhibition does not lead to mRNA destruction? We use experimental and computational approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms linking mRNA decay and translation and to learn how their misregulation can result in disease.