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## Overview

#### Senior Investigator

Markus Hafner, Ph.D.

markus.hafner@nih.gov

#### Research Areas (IRP Lab Groups)

Genetics and Genomics

Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

RNA Biology

Systems Biology

The RNA Molecular Biology Laboratory (RMBL) studies the impact of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) on posttranscriptional gene regulation (PTGR). PTGR summarizes various processes acting upon coding and non-coding RNA and includes RNA maturation, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assembly, transport, translation, and turnover (Figure 1).

The recent introduction of large-scale quantitative methods, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and modern mass spectrometry (MS), allows for the first-time determination of the functional impact of RBPs on a systems-wide level and has sparked a renewed interest in the systematic characterization of PTGR processes.

Members of the RMBL focus on elucidating the function and molecular mechanisms of RNA binding proteins involved in RNA transport, RNA stability and turnover, and RNA translation. Broadly, we are pursuing four interdependent projects:
***Figure 1***

                          - Investigate the role of predicted AU-rich element binding proteins in determining mRNA turnover.
                          - Identify and characterize the interaction network of mRNA binding transport and shuttling proteins and their RNA targets at a sequence and functional level.
                          - Investigate the impact of select RBPs on translation initiation and elongation.
                          - Integrate the results from our systems-level determination of cis-acting elements into high-resolution maps of posttranscriptional regulatory events.

#### Related NIAMS Labs

                                    - Laboratory of Muscle Stem Cells and Gene Regulation

#### Core Research Facilities

Labs at the NIAMS are supported by the following state-of-the-art facilities and services:
                                        - Biodata Mining and Discovery
                                        - Flow Cytometry
                                        - Genomic Technology
                                        - Laboratory Animal Care and Use
                                        - Light Imaging
                                        - Translational Immunology

## Staff

**Markus Hafner, Ph.D.**

markus.hafner@nih.gov

**Dimitrios Anastasakis, Ph.D. **

anastasakisdg@mail.nih.gov 

**Xiaojuan Fan, Ph.D.**

fanx3@nih.gov

**James Marks, Ph.D.**

james.marks2@nih.gov

**Ahsan Polash, Ph.D.**

ahsan.polash@nih.gov

**Jeremy Scutenaire, Ph.D.**

jeremy.scutenaire@nih.gov

**Masataka Suzawa, Ph.D.**

masataka.suzawa@nih.gov

**Mubarak Umar, Ph.D.**

mubarak.umar@nih.gov

**Xiantao Wang**

xiantao.wang@nih.gov

## Former Lab Members

### Research Fellows

                            - Daniel Benhalevy, Ph.D., 2016-2022; Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track), Tel Aviv University, Israel
                            - Amir Manzourolajdad, 2019-2021; Visiting Assistant Professor, Colgate University

### Postdoctoral Fellows

                            - Aishe Angeletti Sarshad, Ph.D., 2014-2018; Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track), Gothenburg University, Sweden
                            - Suman Ghosal, Ph.D., 2016-2017; Clinical Genomics Specialist, Guidehouse/NIAID
                            - Tara Dutka, Ph.D., 2014-2016; Program Director, NIH

### Predoctoral Fellows

                            - Alexandra Balvey Gil, 2023;  Pre-doctoral Fellow, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Spain
                            - Arwa Fallatah, M.Sc., 2017-2021; Postdoctoral Fellow, CCR/NCI

### Postbaccalaureate Fellows

                            - Emma Young, 2021 - 2023; Graduate Student, UCLA
                            - Delaney Ahn, 2021-2022
                            - Duncan Claypool, 2018-2020; M.D./Ph.D. student, University of Illinois in Chicago
                            - Alexis Jacob, 2018-2020; Ph.D. student, Northwestern University
                            - Nicole Johnson, 2017-2019; Research Program Coordinator, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
                            - Ana I. Correa Muler, 2016-2018; Ph.D. student, Gothenburg University, Sweden
                            - Hannah L. McFarland, 2015-2017; Senior Healthcare Consultant, Deloitte
                            - Charles Danan, 2014-2016; M.D/Ph.D. student, University of Pennsylvania
                            - Sudhir Manickavel, 2014-2015; Resident, University of Alabama Medical School

## Image & Media Gallery

##### Dr. Markus Hafner on the importance of RNA and RNA-binding proteins in gene expression and disease

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## Scientific Publications

## Selected Recent Publications

###             Matrin3 regulates mitotic spindle dynamics by controlling alternative splicing of CDC14B.        

42(3).

###             A non-radioactive, improved PAR-CLIP and small RNA cDNA library preparation protocol.        

49(8).

###             Enhancement of LIN28B-induced hematopoietic reprogramming by IGF2BP3.        

33(15-16).

###             DHX36 prevents the accumulation of translationally inactive mRNAs with G4-structures in untranslated regions.        

10(1).

###             miR-450a Acts as a Tumor Suppressor in Ovarian Cancer by Regulating Energy Metabolism.        

79(13).

###             The splicing factor U2AF1 contributes to cancer progression through a noncanonical role in translation regulation.        

33(9-10).

###             Proximity-CLIP provides a snapshot of protein-occupied RNA elements in subcellular compartments.        

15(12).

###             Argonaute-miRNA Complexes Silence Target mRNAs in the Nucleus of Mammalian Stem Cells.        

71(6).

###             Human proteins that interact with RNA/DNA hybrids.        

28(9).

###             The Human CCHC-type Zinc Finger Nucleic Acid-Binding Protein Binds G-Rich Elements in Target mRNA Coding Sequences and Promotes Translation.        

18(12).

###             DND1 maintains germline stem cells via recruitment of the CCR4-NOT complex to target mRNAs.        

543(7646).

## Key Publications

### Posttranscriptional regulation of human endogenous retroviruses by RNA-binding motif protein 4, RBM4. 

117(42).

### Proximity-CLIP provides a snapshot of protein-occupied RNA elements in subcellular compartments. 

15(12).

### Argonaute-miRNA Complexes Silence Target mRNAs in the Nucleus of Mammalian Stem Cells. 

71(6).

### DND1 maintains germline stem cells via recruitment of the CCR4-NOT complex to target mRNAs. 

543(7646).

### Transcriptome-wide identification of RNA-binding protein and microRNA target sites by PAR-CLIP. 

141(1).

See all Publications on PubMed

## News & Highlights

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