Dr. Diana Bratu is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.
See Contact DetailsMy laboratory focuses on unveiling mechanisms through which RNA orchestrates gene expression, including translational repression, RNA interference, and RNA storage and turnover in living cells. We employ a comprehensive array of methodologies spanning from molecular, genetic, biochemical, biophysical and advanced imaging techniques to conduct developmental studies using Drosophila melanogaster, our model system. Our ongoing studies are geared towards refining our understanding of the roles played by processing bodies (P-bodies), biomolecular condensates that form via liquid-liquid phase separation, in conjunction with mRNA fate during development. Though previously perceived as sites of mRNA turnover, recent research demonstrates P-bodies are in fact also storage hubs for translationally silenced mRNAs, which are subsequently released into the cytoplasm in response to developmental cues or due to disruption in condensate organization.
I continue to decipher such intricate events occurring throughout the RNA lifecycle, endeavoring to comprehensively characterize these dynamic processes within living cells at the single-molecule level. Given the highly dynamic and transient nature of interactions between mRNAs-and-proteins (mRNPs), they are best studied via visualization of individual mRNP complexes in living cells. Recent advancements in high-resolution imaging technologies have significantly enhanced the precision of single-molecule tracking and analysis, thus elucidating the dynamic range of mRNP complexes implicated in post-transcriptional regulation.
Having access to state-of-the-art TIRF/SIM and DLS/STED systems at Hunter College, I have redirected my research focus towards investigating the intricate associations of mRNAs with effector proteins, spawning several new projects within the lab. In addition, my endeavors persist in pioneering new fluorescent probe methodologies to unveil the spatial and temporal localization of gene products—both mRNAs and proteins simultaneously—essential for processes like growth and differentiation, long-term memory formation and the establishment of metazoan body axes during early development.
