Welcome to the RNA Processing Lab

Molecular Mechanism of RNA Processing as it Relates to Human Disease

While decades of research have focused on how transcription initiates, a current and exciting focus is now to determine how RNA polymerase terminates at genes. All genes that produce either coding or noncoding transcripts must form the 3' end of RNA through the process of termination.  The molecular mechanism of polymerase termination is only beginning to be understood, but it is clear that termination is subject to regulation and is highly dynamic. Any disruption in proper termination leads to dysregulated gene expression that is observed in multiple human disease contexts including cancer and developmental disorders. Thus, through understanding of the molecular process of termination, better and tailored therapeutics can be designed and tested.

My laboratory is focused on understanding and characterizing the process of termination in eukaryotes. Specifically, we are interested in how the 3' end of RNA is formed at the terminus of both coding and noncoding genes. Research projects in my laboratory will use a blend of classical biochemical and molecular biological techniques coupled with an extensive array of next-generation sequencing approaches and use of functional genomics. Our ultimate goals are to decipher how molecular machines regulate termination, how these machines fail in human disease, and to leverage that knowledge for the creation of therapeutics.

Lab Members