SSA could not be possible without the generous support of Drs. Herbert A. and Betty Lou Lubs and the Science, Society, and the Arts Research Conference Endowment. We are deeply grateful!
Eukaryotes have complex quality control checks that ensure ribosomes are both structurally and functionally sound. Amongst these surveillance pathways are 18S and 25S nonfunctional rRNA decay (NRD), which detect and eliminate nonfunctional rRNAs in the small and large subunits of the ribosome. Conversely, ribophagy is another ribosomal degradation pathway, which is induced by nitrogen starvation. Although a direct link has not been established between NRD and ribophagy, both rRNA degradation mechanisms involve ubiquitin ligase proteins and ubiquitin specific protease complexes. We hypothesize that because of this possible mechanistic overlap, NRD activity can affect ribophagy and vice versa. To investigate the relationship between these pathways, we are measuring NRD under nitrogen deprivation conditions. Total RNA is then isolated from these cells, and the rRNA content is analyzed by RT-qPCR. We hope these experiments will aid our understanding of these pathways as well as their relationship to each other and their efficiency.
