Endoribonucleases are essential for RNA processing, playing a key role in gene regulation and cellular defense. Their activity must be precisely controlled to eliminate harmful RNAs – such as those originating from viruses and transposons – while preserving essential transcripts. Underlying their importance, loss of the endoribonuclease RDE-8 in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans leads to transposon mobilization, genomic instability, and sterility.
Virginia’s project ‘A novel endoribonuclease lock: finding the key’ investigates the molecular mechanisms regulating RDE-8 specificity and activity. Using biochemical, structural, and computational approaches, Virginia aims to understand how protein cofactors precisely control RDE-8. The study of RDE8 is expected to reveal conserved principles of nuclease regulation with more general implications for RNA metabolism and genome stability.
Virgina holds a double master’s degree in molecular biology and genetics from the University of Padua, Italy, and Paris Diderot University, France. She pursued her PhD at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, where she studied the conserved splicing factor CWC27. In 2020, Virginia joined the newly established lab of Sebastian Falk at the Perutz as a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on RNA biology.
About the ESPRIT fellowship
The ESPRIT (Early-Stage Program: Research – Innovation – Training) fellowship supports outstanding early-career postdocs across all disciplines in conducting independent research in Austria. Aimed at fostering innovative science, it strengthens research institutions by attracting and retaining top talent, with a focus on promoting women in academia. Furthermore, it aims to enhance career and competence development by establishing an independent research profile. Funding is provided for up to 36 months, covering the project leader’s position and research expenses.