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Štěpánka Vaňáčová

About the lecture

My talk will deal with the discovery and characterization of essential RNA processing enzymes in mammalian cells, particularly in the pre-tRNA splicing pathway. By studying those enzymes, we now understand (and enjoy) the metabolism of RNA molecules much better.

I will go back in time and describe the biology and biochemistry of:

• the 5’ RNA-kinase CLP1, an enzyme that associates to the tRNA splicing endonuclease (TSEN) complex and the mRNA 3’-end formation machinery;
• The tRNA ligase complex, a pentamer with HSPC117/RTCB as a catalytic subunit;
• Archease, an essential cofactor that turns the tRNA ligase into a multiple turnover enzyme.

In the second part of my talk, I will focus on a very exciting (and serendipitous) (and unpublished) finding in our Lab: We have identified the first 2’,3’-cyclic phosphatase activity in human cells. This is important because the biochemistry and function of RNAs with terminal 2’,3’-cyclic phosphates remain mysterious.

You will hear about the pathway to its discovery, its characterization and the future perspectives.