Investigating the role of cell-type specific errors in RNA

Summary

While there is increasing interest in the role of RNA processing in neurodegeneration, it remains relatively unstudied in Parkinson’s disease. We hypothesise that neuroinflammation causes mislocalisation of RNA binding proteins and results in significant errors in RNA splicing and editing that contribute to the development and progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Project aims

The aims of this project are:

To systematically study the cellular localisation of a range of RNA binding proteins in human brain tissue from individuals with and without Parkinson’s disease.
To analyse existing single nucleus short- and long-read RNA-sequencing data from individuals with and without Parkinson’s disease to identify disease-associated changes in transcript use and editing specifically.
To use iPSC-derived cell models of Parkinson’s disease to extend these analyses and determine whether manipulating RNA processing can recapitulate and/or ameliorate RNA processing defects.

Contact details

Professor Mina Ryten - mr2022@medschl.cam.ac.uk

Opportunities

This project is open to applicants who want to do a:

School of Clinical Medicine | University of Cambridge

Study