Nucleic acid-driven self-assemblies: from viral RNA sensors to transcription factors

My laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms of self vs. non-self discrimination by the immune system. Our research has uncovered several protein polymerization processes??"distinct from phase separation??"that are triggered by nucleic acids in various immune functions. Our earlier work centered on the molecular mechanisms of a family of immune receptors known as RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs), revealing how the innate immune system utilizes protein polymerization to detect viral RNA during infections and link RNA detection to the activation of antiviral signals. More recently, we have broadened our focus to explore the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms involved in T cell self-tolerance. In this presentation, I will discuss our recent findings on multimeric assembly of two key transcription factors, FoxP3 and Aire, in T cell development. In both cases, we have identified protein homo-multimerization as a common molecular principle driving cognate nucleic acid recognition and immune functions.

Speaker: Sun Hur, Harvard Medical School