Dissecting mechanisms of mRNA translational control by specialised ribosomes

Career overview

Dr. Julie Aspden read Biochemistry at The Queen’s College, Oxford, before undertaking a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the initiation of mRNA translation. Following her doctoral studies, Dr. Aspden completed two postdoctoral positions; the first at the University of California, Berkeley, where her research centred on alternative mRNA splicing in the fruit fly, and the second at the University of Sussex, where she defined novel regions of translation. In 2015, Dr. Aspden was awarded a University Academic Fellowship in Pervasive Transcription, which allowed her to establish her own research group at the University of Leeds in August 2015. Her research combines biochemistry, genomics, molecular biology, and genetics to investigate the roles of RNAs in fruit flies and mammalian tissue culture, leveraging the genetic and genomic advantages of *Drosophila* as a model organism.

Research interests

Dr. Aspden''s research focuses on the regulation of mRNA translation, non-coding RNA function, and the role of specific RNA-protein complexes. Her work combines biochemistry, genomics, molecular biology, and genetics to study RNAs in *Drosophila* and mammalian tissue culture. She is particularly interested in how translation is regulated during initiation, especially by the 5'' untranslated region (UTR) and associated proteins, and how disruptions to RNA-protein interactions and translational regulation can play significant roles in various cancers and disorders such as spinal muscular atrophy. Dr. Aspden also investigates long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the cytoplasm, exploring their role in gene expression and their association with neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. She studies the function of cytoplasmic lncRNAs, which are increasingly recognised as being translated and involved in gene regulation. Furthermore, her research delves into the history of mRNA ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) complexes, examining how proteins interact with mRNAs during processing and translation. Dr. Aspden aims to understand how RNA processing in the nucleus affects translation in the cytoplasm and how disturbances in mRNP composition can be detrimental to cellular function. Her research is currently funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and the Royal Society.

Dr Juan Fontana's profile is coming soon