Fields of Research
- Subnuclear Bodies
- RNA-Protein Interactions
Research Summary
Study of RNA-protein interactions that drive subnuclear body assembly and function in health and disease
Research Statement
RNA-protein interactions underscore a diverse array of regulatory mechanisms throughout biology. When dysregulated, they contribute to an assortment of human pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders, retroviral infections, and cancer. However, technical limitations have hindered the identification of RNA-protein interactions, limiting our understanding of fundamental cell biology, and leaving unexplored a potentially broad array of novel pharmacological targets. To overcome this problem, I am developing novel technologies that probe RNA-protein interactions within the cell. Our first test case is a noncoding RNA that scaffolds the nucleolus, an essential subnuclear body. The nucleolus is the site of ribosome biogenesis, a global metabolic regulator, and a hub for higher-order chromatin structure. It’s also causally implicated in a broad range of human pathologies, making it an attractive potential therapeutic target. Identifying key architectural RNA-protein interactions that drive nucleolar biogenesis, and which are dysregulated in disease states, can provide a potentially rich source of therapeutic targets.
Awards and Honors
Ashley Tsue
Graduate Student
Affiliations
UW Pharmacology Department
Funding Sources: Pharmacological Sciences Training Program
Ashley Tsue
Graduate Student
Affiliations
UW Pharmacology Department
Funding Sources: Pharmacological Sciences Training Program
Faculty
- Building:
- Health Sciences Building
- Room:
- K554
- Box:
- 357750
- Web Link:
- http://depts.washington.edu/sheqlab/
Lab
- Building:
- Health Sciences Building
- Room:
- K554
- Box:
- 357750
- Phone:
- 206-543-0144
- Web Link:
- https://depts.washington.edu/phcol/faculty/shechner.php
Ashley Tsue
Graduate Student
Affiliations
UW Pharmacology Department
Funding Sources: Pharmacological Sciences Training Program
Ashley Tsue
Graduate Student
Affiliations
UW Pharmacology Department
Funding Sources: Pharmacological Sciences Training Program
Ashley Tsue
Graduate Student
Affiliations
UW Pharmacology Department
Funding Sources: Pharmacological Sciences Training Program
Select Publications
Rusnac, D.-V., Lin, H.-C., Canzani, D., Tien, K.X., Hinds, T.R., Tsue, A.F., Bush, M.F., Yen, H.-C.S., and Zheng, N. (2018). Recognition of the Diglycine C-End Degron by CRL2KLHDC2 Ubiquitin Ligase. Mol. Cell 72, 813-822.e4.
Young, E.D., Strom, K., Tsue, A.F., Usset, J.L., MacPherson, S., McGuire, J.T., and Welch, D.R. (2018). Automated quantitative image analysis for ex vivo metastasis assays reveals differing lung composition requirements for metastasis suppression by KISS1. Clin. Exp. Metastasis 35, 77–86.
Publications
Ashley Tsue
Graduate Student
Affiliations
UW Pharmacology Department
Funding Sources: Pharmacological Sciences Training Program