Dmitry Belostotsky
Associate Professor, MBB
Ph.D. Institute of General Genetics Institute of General Genetics - USSR Academy of Sciences
Office: 311 BSB
Phone: (816) 235-5358
E-mail: BelostotskyD
Research Areas
Gene expression mechanisms, RNA processing and metabolism genetics, genomics and development.
Current Interests
"We are interested in deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of gene expression, with specific focus on the biogenesis, transport, utilization and turnover of diverse species of RNA. We work with two powerful eukaryotic model systems, bakers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
The current studies on the yeast side of the lab aim to extend our recent findings that mRNA biogenesis in the nucleus involves an intricate quality control checkpoint near the site of transcription. Aberrant messenger RNA molecules are not released from the gene but retained in its vicinity and subsequently destroyed. We are also pursuing the unexpected observation that the yeast poly(A) binding protein, long believed to have important functions only in the cytoplasm, also has an important role in the nuclear processes as a facilitator of mRNA biogenesis and export. This line of study involves a powerful array of methods of yeast genetics, genomics and cell biology, and is being pursued in collaboration with Dr. Julia Chekanova at UMKC.
On the plant side, several macromolecular machines acting on RNA and their functions at the specific stages of plant development are currently under investigation. For instance, we applied the affinity tag-assisted proteomics to purify and characterize the plant exosome complex – a versatile engine of RNA processing and degradation. We also discovered that, as opposed to yeast and animal models, different Arabidopsis exosome subunits have unique roles at specific developmental stages, such as production of female gametes, specification of distinct embryo and endosperm identities as well as early seed development. Whole-transcriptome tiling microarrays are now being used to identify the plant exosome substrates on the global scale.
Most of our pursuits are question-driven, and hence we are using a wide and constantly evolving range of tools, including genetics, genomics, biochemistry, proteomics, molecular and cell biology and bioinformatics. Our research in yeast RNA biology is supported by NIH, while our plant RNA studies are supported by USDA and BARD."
