Research summary
Proteins are the workhorses of the cell and are involved in all physiological functions. This makes them indispensable to life—but it also means that their malfunction can lead to a range of illnesses. Understanding how proteins work is key to finding ways to treat many diseases. As Canada Research Chair in Functional Proteomics and Discovery of New Proteins, Dr. Xavier Roucou is working to develop this knowledge.
He has discovered that many genes use multi-coding RNAs to produce multiple proteins. Roucou and his research team have also created a proteogenomics resource known as OpenProt to explore a previously undetectable proteome. (The proteome is the complete set of proteins made by an organism.) Now, they are enhancing genome annotation, enabling the discovery of new proteins and deciphering their biological functions. Ultimately, their work is laying the foundation for developing diagnostic tools and treatments for illnesses such as degenerative diseases and cancer.