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FACULTY - PRIMARY FACULTY - TIMOTHY W. NILSEN |
Timothy W. Nilsen, Ph.D.
Professor & Director
Center for RNA Molecular Biology
|
RNA Center Faculty: since started |
Education: Ph.D.: Molecular Biology |
| Case Faculty Member: since 1982 |
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| Secondary Faculty: Dept. of Biochemistry & |
NIH Biosketch
Research: Mechanisms of post transcriptional gene regulation
Our lab is currently studying several aspects of post-transcriptional gene regulation:
- Identification and mechanistic characterization of splicing silencers. Splicing silencers are RNA elements that downregulate the use of splice sites.
- Mechanism of trans-splicing in a parasitic nematode. We have developed cell free systems to analyze this unusual splicing reaction that joins two independently transcribed RNAs.
- Mechanism whereby miRNAs regulate translation. miRNAs are small RNAs that bind to the 3' UTRs of target mRNAs and downregulate their translation.
- Mechanism by which the exon junction complex enhances translation. The EJC is deposited on mRNAs as a consequence of splicing and upregulates translation of spliced mRNAs.
Selected Publications
Fairman, M.E., Maroney, P.A., Wang, W., Bowers, H.A., Gollnick P., Nilsen, T.W. & Jankowsky, E. (2004)
Protein displacement by DExH/D “RNA helicases” without duplex unwinding.
Science 340:730-734
Nilsen, T.W. (2003)
The spliceosome: the most complex macromolecular machine in the cell?
BioEssays, 25:1147-9.
Denker, J.A., Zuckerman, D.M. Maroney, P.A. and Nilsen, T.W. (2002)
New components of the spliced leader RNP required for nematode trans-splicing.
Nature, 417, 667-670.
Maroney, P.A., Romfo C. and Nilsen, T.W. (2000)
Functional recognition of the 5' splice site by
U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP defines a novel ATP-dependent step in early spliceosome assembly.
Molecular Cell, 6: 317–328 (2000).