The impact of Gdown1, IE2, and human cytomegalovirus infection on transcription

The human genome instructs development important for continuation of the species. Most cells in humans contain the same DNA, but the identity of genes that are expressed, or transcribed, as RNA often differ. Certain RNAs, called messenger RNAs, are translated into proteins that carry out the specific functions of the cell in which they were expressed. Accurate control of transcription is important to ensure that cells produce the right RNAs to function normally. Improper transcription is associated with many developmental defects and disease states, including cancer. Certain viruses use host cell proteins involved in transcription to direct expression of their own genes. In these contexts, investigating how transcription is controlled also provides the opportunity to identify disease mechanisms and potential drug targets. As a graduate student, I investigated control of transcription throughout the cell cycle, during which a mother cell grows, replicates its DNA, and then segregates the genetic material to produce two identical daughter cells. I discovered new ways by which transcription appears to be regulated during mitosis, the time when the mother cell divides, and found that loss of this control was associated with cell division errors that may be linked to cancer. I also explored how transcription is controlled by Human Cytomegalovirus, a common viral pathogen that infects more than half of the world population. I discovered new ways by which viral infection regulates transcription to promote its replication. Taken together, my research demonstrates the significance of transcriptional control mechanisms in a normal cell cycle and in contexts of infection.