The genetic information encoded in DNA is read off in living cells through the processes of 'transcription' and 'translation.' The gene produces mRNA molecules (transcription), and mRNAs make proteins (translation) using other macromolecules' help. One fact of life is that these molecular processes are 'noisy.' There are cell-to-cell variations in the mRNA and protein copy numbers even when cells are genetically identical. This noise arguably is a source of 'phenotypic diversity'. We are interested in how molecular regulation affects gene expression noise.
Previously we investigated how molecular competition for transcription factors affects gene expression noise. We are now looking at post-transcriptional regulation of the gene expression by micro-RNAs. Micro-RNAs are small non-coding RNAs that bind to large mRNA molecules and inhibit translation. We are developing stochastic models for micro-RNA mediated negative feedback loops.
