Translation initiation and development of pharmacological tools
The process of protein synthesis is one of the most energy consuming cellular processes and is under tight regulation by nutrients availability and various signal transduction pathways related to stress and cell growth. We are studying the regulation of the translation initiation stage by the various initiation factors (eIFs). We are interested in the dynamic interaction between eIFs, eIFs and ribosomal proteins and eIFs with mRNA under normal growth and following stress. In addition, we are developing small molecule inhibitors of the various stages of the initiation process as research tools for treating diseases.