Homeostasis of all multicellular organisms is maintained by an elite set of cells with an unrestrained capacity to differentiate into all cell types – stem cells. Stem cells rely on a rapid rewiring of molecular pathways to maintain tissue integrity and re-populate pools of undifferentiated cells. Loss of these healthy characteristics is a cornerstone of ageing and malignancy.

Orchestrated regulation of post-transcriptional layers of gene expression, in particular mRNA translation and splicing, is an emerging determinant of cell fate choices. How these processes are coordinated to ensure fidelity of stem cell activation and allow for homeostatic balance is largely unknown. Activated stem cells embark on a complex programme that is frequently and notably uncoupled from the transcriptional regulation. How these extra-genomic states are acquired in dynamic stem cell transitions remains a key unanswered question. Similarly, the implications of the ‘non-transcriptional’ regulation of stem cell function were not comprehensively addressed so far. That is a fundamental biological conundrum of how post-transcriptional regulatory networks may be co-opted during the initial stages of stem cells activation. What drives these changes? And for which physiological and pathological processes they are important?

We employ pallet of stem cell systems to study rapid cellular fate switches during development. By a combination of genetic models, genome-wide sequencing approaches and mechanistic and structural technologies, we study function of RNA metabolism during mammalian development. We hope to understand the molecular basis of the post-transcriptional regulation of the stem cell function. With our research, we want to establish molecular underpinnings of pathologies related to stem cell dysfunction, including infertility, congenital diseases, and cancer.