Wu Lab

DNA and RNA

Environmental epitranscriptomics chart showing environmental exposures, genes and then charts

 

Epitranscriptomics, the study of chemical modifications to RNA, is emerging as a critical field for understanding how environmental and metabolic factors influence gene expression. RNA modifications, such as methylation, can regulate RNA stability, processing, and translation, shaping cellular responses to external and internal stressors. Our lab investigates how factors such as air pollution and metabolic disorders alter the epitranscriptome, potentially driving disease susceptibility and progression. By exploring these RNA modifications, we aim to uncover molecular mechanisms linking environmental and metabolic stress to health outcomes, providing new insights into disease prevention and treatment.

 

Featured projects:

  • Prenatal Traffic-Related Air Pollutants, Placental Epitranscriptomics, and Child Cognition
    • This project aims to provide novel insight into the mechanisms governing the effects of prenatal traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) exposure and child neurodevelopment in the placenta m6A epitranscriptome in participants from the Columbia Center for Childre's Environmental Health (CCCEH)
  • The Epitranscriptome as a Novel Mechanism of Arsenic-Induced Diabetes
    • This project aims to evaluate novel epitranscriptomic mechanisms linking arsenic to diabetes and metabolic dysfunction in American Indian communities within the Strong Heart Study (SHS) cohort. This study can provide insight into novel pathways of arsenic related diabetes, identify prevention interventions, and inform recommendations for arsenic levels in water and food.​