To sense and respond to their environment is a fundamental requirement for all organisms. This response often occurs through a carefully orchestrated regulation of genes. A major mode of gene-regulation in response to changing environments is via non-coding RNAs. This is especially evident in bacteria, where RNAs control important processes such as growth, metabolism, adaptations and responses to changing environments etc. We are interested in understanding how bacteria use RNAs to sense and respond to environmental cues. We use diverse approaches such as X-ray crystallography, RNA-protein biochemistry, biophysical, bioinformatics and in vivo methods to study regulatory RNAs and RNA-protein complexes in bacteria.
Currently we focus on a class of non-coding RNAs called riboswitches, which directly bind cellular metabolites to control the expression of downstream genes. These sensory RNAs adopt complex structures that are fine-tuned to recognize their cognate ligand. Our goal is to understand how RNAs create the structural diversity needed to bind diverse metabolites, ultimately leading to genetic control.
Regulatory RNAs often function not in isolation, but as intricately woven protein-RNA networks. This cross-talk between regulatory RNAs and proteins is fundamentally important to bacterial biology, yet poorly understood. We are interested in identifying protein-RNA networks that control genes involved in bacterial pathogenesis with an emphasis on mycobacterial species.
Currently we focus on a class of non-coding RNAs called riboswitches, which directly bind cellular metabolites to control the expression of downstream genes. These sensory RNAs adopt complex structures that are fine-tuned to recognize their cognate ligand. Our goal is to understand how RNAs create the structural diversity needed to bind diverse metabolites, ultimately leading to genetic control.
Regulatory RNAs often function not in isolation, but as intricately woven protein-RNA networks. This cross-talk between regulatory RNAs and proteins is fundamentally important to bacterial biology, yet poorly understood. We are interested in identifying protein-RNA networks that control genes involved in bacterial pathogenesis with an emphasis on mycobacterial species.