The decay of RNA transcripts has been an under appreciated mode of controlling gene expression.
Steady state transcript abundance is governed equally by the synthesis and decay of mRNA transcripts. While studies over recent decades of focused primarily on the importance of transcriptional control as a mode of controlling gene expression, the regulation of RNA decay has also been shown to be precise and specific. I am interested in understanding the mechanisms that convey precision and specificity to decay pathways. Specifically, I would like to understand how transcripts exit translation to be destroyed, both as a normal turnover mechanism and in response to cellular stress.