Hosna Jabbari

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression through interactions with target mRNAs, primarily thought to be via seed-mediated binding in the 3′ untranslated region. However, increasing evidence supports the functional importance of non-canonical and seed-independent interactions, as well as miRNA-mediated up-regulation.

Abstract Protein tertiary structure prediction models like AlphaFold2 have revolutionized the field with unprecedented accuracy. Yet predicting structural changes arising from single amino acid mutations remains a challenge. The complexity introduced by these mutations calls for models that can incorporate mutational information into their predictions. We propose a novel refinement strategy for protein secondary structure prediction that leverages missense mutational data.

Abstract SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread and infect people worldwide. While most effort into characterizing variants of this virus have focused on non-synonymous changes, accumulation of synonymous mutations in different viral variants has also occurred. Here we characterize six Variants of Concern in terms of their mutational content, and make predictions regarding the impact of those mutations on potential genomic RNA secondary structure and stability.