Soren Colfax | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Soren Colfax
Title: Investigating the Effect of the Nab2 RNA-Binding Protein on CircMbl Biogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster
Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Minor: Philosophy
Advisor: Seth Kelly
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a special type of RNA that form closed loops instead of the typical linear shape. This structure makes them unusually stable and resistant to degradation. Although circRNAs are found across many organisms, their functions are still not fully understood. One of the most abundant circRNAs in fruit flies is circMbl, which is produced from the Muscleblind gene. This study investigates how a protein called Nab2 influences the production of circMbl. Nab2 is known to help regulate how RNA molecules are processed, including how some circRNAs are formed. To explore this, we measured circMbl levels in brain tissue from developing fruit flies using a technique called RT-qPCR, which quantifies RNA abundance. We found that flies lacking Nab2 produced substantially more circMbl than unmutated flies. This result is unexpected because Nab2 is generally thought to promote circRNA formation. One possible explanation for this discrepancy involves the Muscleblind RNA-binding protein, which can enhance circRNA production of its own transcripts. In the absence of Nab2, delays in RNA processing may give Muscleblind more opportunity to increase circMbl formation. We also confirmed that the region of RNA that forms the circMbl loop, known as the back-splice region, remains the same regardless of whether Nab2 is present. Overall, these findings suggest that circMbl production likely is impacted by competing regulatory mechanisms.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
