Posttranscriptional regulatory interactions during Herpes Simplex Virus infection

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Friedrich A. Grässer; Professor Dr. Markus Landthaler
• Subject Area: Virology ; Cell Biology
• Term: from 2014 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 261502768

Herpes viruses cause a variety of human diseases with often very limited options for treatment or prevention. Thus, there is a need to improve our understanding of the replication strategies of these viruses to identify novel targets for intervention. Here, we want to analyze the dynamic interplay between mRNAs and proteins in Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) -infected cells. We propose to systematically dissect posttranscriptional regulation during HSV infection concerning its molecular composition and architecture as well as its biological functions. We intend to discover host and viral mRNA-interacting proteins that show differential binding during viral replication, to identify their target transcripts and to characterize how these protein-RNA interactions influence the fate of cellular and viral mRNAs. Our results will be instrumental to integrate posttranscriptional interactions into other cellular gene regulatory networks as well as carry the potential for translational medicine by identifying novel RNA-binding proteins, which influence viral replication.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants