About
Probing every single biomolecule within its native environment in a living cell provides intriguing insights into how life works at a molecular level. To understand the fundamental mechanisms of life, I use single-molecular biophysics to study the dynamics and function of individual RNA molecules in both live cells and in vitro.
Organelles are small cellular compartments that separate biochemical reactions, preventing them from interfering with each other and guaranteeing the efficiency of cellular activities. The membraneless organelles (such as P-body, stress granule, centrosome, nuclear speckle, and so on) play an essential role in regulating cell metabolism, signaling, stress response, and gene expression.
A biophysical model for membraneless organelles assembly is phase separation. The model proposes that membraneless organelles are biomolecular condensates, formed via a physical phase transition from an initial dilute liquid phase into a new condensed liquid phase, and they maintain their boundary with the cytoplasm or nucleoplasm via thermodynamic forces.
The role of RNA in biomolecular condensates remains largely unclear, especially the role of RNAs from specific genes. Therefore, my dissertation thesis aims to fill this gap by using single-molecule tracking of different RNAs in both live cells and reconstituted condensates in vitro to understand RNA’s role in biomolecular condensates.
Research Area(s)
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Single-molecule tracking, super-resolution imaging, RNA biology, and liquid-liquid phase separation/biomolecular condensates
