Genetic parasites, such as viruses and transposons (‘jumping genes’), have colonized the genomes of virtually all life forms. The battle between the host genomes and the genetic parasites creates an evolutionary arms race – a state of accelerated innovation of gene regulation mechanisms. With the Hallas-Møller Emerging Investigator Fellowship, Peter Refsing Andersen will establish a research team to uncover new mechanisms of gene regulation through studies of arms races between host genomes and genetic parasites.

Peter did his PhD studies at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, AU, where he investigated how human cells sort gene products, so-called RNA molecules, so that the right ones are kept in the cell, while the damaged and useless ones are destined for degradation. Peter then received grants from both Alfred Benzon Fonden and Novo Nordisk Fonden to move Vienna to perform research in one of the world-leading laboratories in the understanding of how genetic parasites are kept in check via the regulation of RNA molecules.

Through studies of the arms race between host genomes and genetic parasites, Peter has during these postdoctoral studies uncovered new molecular mechanisms that bend and bypass the normal rules of gene regulation. This has resulted in an article published in Nature last year that describes how a normal gene silencing mechanism, through the arms race innovation, has been ‘hacked’ to in fact turn on genes (which in turn silence genetic parasites!). By discovering such ‘hacked’ gene mechanism, Peter’s research group will bring new insight both about how genes in general are regulated and about how our genomes fight back against genetic parasites.

About the Hallas-Møller Emerging Investigator grants

Postdoc Peter Refsing Andersen
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna BioCenter, Austria
peter.andersen@imba.oeaw.ac.at