Identifying the Role of Elc1 and CPF in Regulating mRNA Processing Factors (2021)

he processing of mRNA is a critical component that enables protein synthesis. Our experiments show that Elc1, a protein degradation factor found in yeast, could be involved in regulating mRNA processing following certain types of DNA damage response. Our hypothesis is that Elc1 degrades Cleavage and Polyadenylation factors (CPF) a key protein complex involved in processing mRNA. Currently we are attempting to purify the CPF complex using a specific yeast strain that contains a tagged version of one of the CPF components. We will be using antibody conjugated beads to isolate the CPF from yeast extracts. The goal is to test our hypothesis and check if purified Elc1 can in fact degrade this purified CPF in-vitro.