Investigating the molecular mechanisms mediating the anti-cancer properties of resveratrol

Substances that we are exposed to through the diet can have positive or negative effects on our health. Phytochemicals such as resveratrol have been reported to have overall beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing and anti-cancer properties. Intriguingly, activation of repetitive DNA elements such as LINE1s that are usually silenced in healthy cells, has been associated with ageing and cancer through modulation of inflammatory pathways. Work from the host group and others has shown that resveratrol treatment can alter the activity of repetitive elements. Moreover, preliminary work from the host group using resveratrol pull downs has found that a transcription factor known to regulate the activity of repetitive elements directly interact with resveratrol. These observations led to the hypothesis that the health beneficial effects of resveratrol are in part mediated by its ability to modulate LINE1 expression through this interaction. This project aims to study the molecular mechanisms through which the interaction of resveratrol with this transcription factor regulates LINE1 expression. The proposed work will characterise the interaction and investigate its functional consequences using a combination of biochemical, structural and cell biology approaches combined with multi-omics analyses.