This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Stabilization and destabilization of mRNA plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Our knowledge of presence of human mRNA and the stabilization that enables its presence in human saliva is very poor. The existence of viral, bacterial and human RNAs in saliva allows us to study the mechanisms and regulations of mRNA stability for various diseases. The challenges related to regulation of mRNA stability in human saliva, and how mRNA is stabilized by utilizing mRNA stability pathways is yet to uncover. We hypothesize that there are sequence elements and protein factors responsible for the differential presence of disease specific RNA biomarkers in saliva or oral cancer patients. This research will allow us to gain insights into the sequence elements and protein factors responsible for mRNA stability in human saliva. Therefore, the major goal of this proposal is to understand the mechanistic aspects of mRNA stability in human saliva.
Two specific aims are proposed to accomplish these goals. I) Determine the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the stabilization of mRNA's in human saliva and II) Validate the AU-rich element containing mRNA decay in correlation with MAP kinase pathway activation.
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