We study the molecular mechanisms underlying a variety of nucleic acid transactions, including DNA transposition, RNA synthesis and RNA processing. The current research focus of my laboratory is to understand the molecular underpinnings and biological significance of complex virus-host...
Redox regulation plays a central role in signal transduction processes operating in the brain. Aberrant redox signaling is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and various Ataxias. It...
Research in my laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of multi-subunit assemblies involved in synaptic communication. We are particularly interested in elucidating the structural thermodynamics that govern subunit assembly, ligand binding, and allosteric control of neurotransmitter receptors....
Understanding how the information in the genome is utilized is one of the central questions in modern biology. It has become clear that a critical level of gene regulation occurs through the chemical modification of both the DNA itself...
Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are large enzymatic systems responsible for the biosynthesis of a wealth of secondary metabolites, many of which are used by pharmaceutical scientists to produce drugs such as antibiotics or anticancer agents. To synthesize all of...
Antigen-specific and islet-targeted immunotherapies for type-1 diabetes Cell-surface autoantigens of pancreatic beta-cells are molecular attractants for autoreactive immune cells and thus therapeutic entry points to protect beta-cells from autoimmune attack that results in type-1 diabetes (T1D). Zinc transporter-8 (ZnT8)...
Research Interests: My laboratory’s research is focused on understanding how multi-subunit assemblies use ATP for overcoming topological challenges within the chromosome and controlling the flow of genetic information. We are particularly interested in developing mechanistic models that explain how...
Research Interests: We are interested in understanding mechanisms that allow biological stress-sensors to detect danger signals and initiate highly coordinated coping-responses by assembling into higher order molecular assemblies. Innate immunity is the first line of defense against invading pathogens...
Eukaryotic cells package their genomes in the form of chromatin, which is comprised of histone proteins and DNA. Modification of chromatin by chemical marks such as methylation and acetylation affects how cellular machineries interpret the genome. The Taverna laboratory...