Rachel O Niederer

I love all things RNA! In particular, I have a long-standing interest in RNP complexes, which began as an undergraduate when I had the opportunity to perform summer research in the lab of Jeffrey Smith at UVA studying rDNA transcription. Fascinated by the ribosome, I began working with Jon Dinman at the University of Maryland, College Park, investigating the role of rRNA modifications on translation fidelity. For my PhD I made the short drive north to Johns Hopkins University, where I joined the lab of David Zappulla to study the telomerase RNP complex. Next, I joined Melissa Moore’s lab at the University of Massachusetts Medical School for a postdoc studying splicing dynamics. However, my time in the lab was cut short when Dr. Moore took a job as CSO at Moderna Therapeutics. So, in 2017 I joined Dr. Wendy Gilbert’s lab where I returned to my favorite RNP, the ribosome. During this time, I developed a high-throughput method to assay translation initiation, DART, which continues to be a central technique in my current lab. Through all the bumps along the way, RNA has continued to fascinate, surprise and motivate me. Now, we devote our time to uncovering the regulatory logic within mRNA that guides protein production in both normal and disease states.

Translational control of gene expression plays an essential role during development, response to stress and a wide range of cellular processes. However, the key mRNA features that distinguish efficiently translated from poorly translated mRNAs remain largely unknown. Our lab utilizes a combination of high throughput experimental methods, biochemistry and molecular biology to both discover translational control elements and characterize novel regulatory mechanisms impacting gene expression.