Interviews of the CIG PIs: N.Hernandez

“Is everything under control?”

Regulation of polymerase III activity

“I wasn’t there when it happened” says Prof. Nouria Hernandez, “but it’s only reasonable to assume that RNA polymerases were playing an instrumental role during the early stages of cellular life.” And who would dare to contradict her? Indeed, the synthesis of macromolecules following molecularly embedded instructions in a DNA or an RNA template – call it genetically encoded “chain building” if you want – is an essential process of life on this planet. Prof. Hernandez and her team are focusing on RNA polymerase III, responsible for the transcription of small non-coding RNA genes. Their research has revealed unexpected levels of complexity for polymerase III regulation, thereby challenging prevailing concepts in the field.

♬ Working on a chain gang 

Sam Cooke (1960)