Dr. Hundley is interested in post-transcriptional mechanisms of regulating gene expression. Gene expression is the movement of information from genomic DNA to mRNA to protein. Proper control of gene expression is critical for the normal development of all organisms. Errors in regulating mRNA (post-transcriptional gene expression) account for over 20% of all human genetic diseases, including many types of cancer. The 3’ untranslated region (3’ UTR) of mRNAs is a “hotspot” for regulatory elements that direct post-transcriptional gene regulation. My lab is currently focusing on how long double-stranded structures present in 3’ UTRs affect gene expression both in human cell lines and in the microscopic worm,Caenorhabditis elegans.
