Research in RNA bioinformatics

RNA molecules play important roles in biology in addition to their function as messenger RNAs. A vast range of non-coding RNAs participate in different regulatory processes, and RNAs are even capable of specifically sensing small molecules and catalyzing chemical reactions. Our goals are (1) to discover new types of RNAs, (2) to elucidate the functions and mechanisms of these and other RNAs and (3) to develop new computational approaches to address these challenges.

We have multiple collaborations with experimental labs that are initiated by experimental results requiring computational support, or initiated by our computational findings that need experimental analysis.

Our current areas of focus, each supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG), are:

• RNA structures in plants, especially those involved in alternative splicing (Funding: WE 6322/3-1)
• Regulatory and catalytic RNA elements in bacteria (Funding: WE 6322/1-1, WE 6322/1-2)
• Understanding the role of RNA structures in CRISPR-Cas biology (Funding: WE 6322/4-1)

The Weinberg lab is part of the Institute of Computer Science and Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Halle, Germany.