Joan Heath-Projects

Joan Heath-Projects

Projects

Role of minor splicing in development and cancer

Our interest in minor splicing came with our discovery that the rnpc3 gene, which encodes a protein component of the minor spliceosome, is required for the rapid growth and proliferation of cells in the developing digestive organs of larval zebrafish. Further experiments indicated a heightened requirement for Rnpc3/minor splicing in tissues undergoing rapid, continuous cell cycling, compared to quiescent tissues. Current studies are directed towards determining whether minor splicing is an Achilles’ heel of all highly proliferative tissues, including cancer.

Role of the nucleoporin, Elys in development and cancer

Similarly, our interest in nucleoporin function came with our discovery that the ahctf1 gene, which encodes Elys, a component of nuclear pore complexes, is required for the rapid growth and proliferation of cells in the developing digestive organs of larval zebrafish. Elys is a large multifunctional protein with essential roles in nuclear pore assembly and mitosis. Using a zebrafish model of hepatocellular carcinoma, we are investigating whether reducing ahctf1 gene expression reduces tumour burden, without affecting non-hyperplastic tissues.