JOIN US! CSB Cutting Lecture Series, Aaron A. Hoskins, PhD, Friday, April 17, 2026, 12:30 pm, LK120!
The Department of Chemical and Systems Biology Presents
Cutting Lecture Series
Aaron A. Hoskins, PhD
Wasson Professor of Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Friday, April 17, 2026
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Pacific Time)
LKSC – LK120
Talk Title: “pre-mRNA Cleavage and Polyadenylation at the Single Molecule Level”
Abstract: In eukaryotes, nascent RNA transcripts (pre-mRNAs) must be cleaved at their 3′ end to release them from the transcriptional machinery and subsequently polyadenylated by addition of a poly(A) tail. Cleavage and polyadenylation are essential for pre-mRNA maturation, translation, and gene regulation in eukaryotes. The multi-subunit Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factor (CPF) complex orchestrates these processes, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In collaboration with Lori Passmore’s group, we have reconstituted 3′ end cleavage at the single molecule level using purified yeast CPF, along with the associated Cleavage Factors (CF) CF IA, and CF IB for the first time. In these experiments we are able to study the assembly and disassembly pathways of the RNA processing machinery; how factor binding events correlate with cleavage, RNA structure, and RNA sequence; and the coupling between factor binding, cleavage, and polyadenylation. These results provide new insights into an essential, MegaDalton-sized cellular machine that have proven elusive for decades and the molecular mechanisms behind formation of RNA 3′ UTRs.