Prof Nazif Alic; University College London
Prof Alic completed his studies at the University of New South Wales, Australia, including a PhD under the supervision of Prof Dawes. His first postdoctorate was on the biochemistry of transcription by the yeast RNA polymerase III, with Drs Carles and Riva at Commissariat à l'énergie atomique, France. He arrived to UCL as an EMBO/Marie Curie fellow to work with Prof Partridge. He started his own laboratory at UCL in 2013
Understanding ageing and how it can be modulated is of growing societal importance. Using the fruit fly, we are investigating how transcriptional regulation impacts the plasticity of adult physiology, metabolism and lifespan. On one hand, we are interested in functions of RNA polymerases (Pols) I and III, the two Pols that have historically received less attention. Pol III produces short, non-coding RNAs that are essential for protein translation, such as the tRNAs and 5S rRNA. Pol III inhibition in the intestinal stem cells recapitulates the longevity effects of TORC1 inhibition. In contrast, high Pol III activity in neurons is sufficient to extend lifespan and improve health. We are also interested in the regulation of protein-coding genes by Pol II. We have recently found that ß-adrenergic-like signalling engages CrebB in Drosophila gut to promote female longevity, demonstrating the potential for this neuroendocrine pathway to promote old-age health and longevity.
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