Jing Crystal Zhao

Biography

Jing Crystal Zhao received her Ph.D. in Endocrinology from the Biology Department at Boston University. She was trained as a research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in neuroendocrinology, RNA biology, and epigenetics. She was recruited to the SBP as an Assistant Professor in 2011.

Research Interest

Genes encode proteins and proteins dictate cell fate. Messenger RNAs (mRNA) act as templates for protein synthesis. Therefore, appropriate regulation of mRNA is central to the function of eukaryotic cells. One potential regulatory mechanism of mRNA is through mRNA modification. Recent studies showed that tens of thousands mRNA and noncoding RNA molecules in mammalian cells are tagged with a specific type of chemical modification, named N6-methyladenosine or m6A. Excess m6A in mouse leads to infertility. However, how m6A exerts these functions is unknown.