Joseph E. Wedekind, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Office: (585) 273-4516

Fax: (585) 275-6007

Research Labs

The Wedekind lab uses biophysical, biochemical and cell-based techniques to investigate: (i) bacterial riboswitches, and (ii) lab-evolved proteins that target HIV-1 RNA.

Visit Lab Website

Locations

University of Rochester Medical Center
School of Medicine and Dentistry
601 Elmwood Ave, Box 712
Rochester, NY

Biography

Research

The Wedekind lab investigates the mechanisms of action of non-protein-coding (nc)RNAs. We are interested especially in the elegant, three-dimensional architectures of these RNAs, and how they bind to specific small molecules or peptides, leading to conformations that alter biological function. Model systems include: (i) metabolite-sensing riboswitches that regulate protein translation, and (ii) the application of lab-evolved proteins to target HIV-1 RNA. This work is relevant to the development of new antibiotics and anti-retroviral therapies. This work is funded by NIH/NIGMS grants R01 GM063162 and R01 GM123864.

Our lab employs a variety of biochemical, biophysical, and structural approaches, such as X-ray crystallography. We greatly acknowledge NIH/NCRR award S10 RR026501 for supporting this instrumentation. For access or further information see: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/structural-biology-biophysics.aspx

Credentials

Faculty Appointments

Professor - Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics (SMD) - Primary

Education

1990
B.Sc. | University of California at Riverside
Biochemistry (Magna Cum Laude)

1995
Ph.D. | University of Wisconsin at Madison
Biochemistry (Structural Enzymology)

Awards

2017 - 2018
Secretary, Medical Faculty Council
Location: University of Rochester SMD

2015
Faculty Teaching Award in Biophysics
Sponsor: University of Rochester SMD
Location: Dept. Biochemistry & Biophysics

2011 - 2016
Editorial Board Member, The Journal of Biological Chemistry
Sponsor: ASBMB

2010 - 2012
Executive Committee Member, CHESS Users' Group
Sponsor: Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, Ithaca NY

2010
Faculty Teaching Award in Biophysics
Location: University of Rochester SMD | Dept. Biochemistry & Biophysics

2007 - 2009
Elected Secretary (The Board of Directors)
Sponsor: The Pittsburgh Diffraction Society
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

2005
Faculty Teaching Award in Biophysics
Location: University of Rochester SMD | Dept. Biochemistry & Biophysics

1996 - 1999
Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellow
Sponsor: Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Location: Dept. Structural Biology, Stanford, CA

1996
Individual NRSA Post-doctoral Fellowship (declined)
Sponsor: NIH
Location: Stanford, CA

1996
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Post-Doctoral Award (declined)
Sponsor: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Location: Stanford, CA

1995 - 1996
Dean's Fellow
Location: Stanford University School of Medicine

1992 - 1995
NIH Biophysics Training Grant Recipient
Sponsor: NIH/NIGMS

1990
Elected Member, Phi Beta Kappa
Location: Iota Chapter of California

1989
Edmondson Summer Research Fellow
Sponsor: Dept. of Pathology
Location: University of Southern California

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Publications

Journal Articles

6/9/2017
Wedekind JE, Dutta D, Belashov IA, Jenkins JL. "Metalloriboswitches: RNA-based inorganic ion sensors that regulate genes." The Journal of biological chemistry.. 2017 Jun 9; 292(23):9441-9450. Epub 2017 Apr 28.

2016
Jenkins JL, Wedekind JE. "The Quick and the Dead: A Guide to Fast Phasing of Small Ribozyme and Riboswitch Crystal Structures." Methods in molecular biology.. 2016 1490:265-80.

11/6/2015
Dutta D, Wedekind JE. "Gene Regulation Gets in Tune: How Riboswitch Tertiary-Structure Networks Adapt to Meet the Needs of Their Transcription Units." Journal of molecular biology.. 2015 Nov 6; 427(22):3469-3472. Epub 2015 Aug 06.

Books & Chapters

2015
Chapter Title: Tails of Three Knotty Switches: How PreQ1 Riboswitch Structures Control Protein Translation
Book Title: eLifeSciences
Author List: Belashov I.A., Dutta D., Salim M., Wedekind J.E.
Published By: John Wiley & Sons, Inc2015

2014
Chapter Title: Metal Dependence of Ligand Binding and Heavy-Atom Derivatization of Evolutionarily Distinct PreQ1 Riboswitches
Book Title: Chemical Biology of Nucleic Acids
Author List: Joseph E. Wedekind, Joseph A. Liberman, Jermaine L. Jenkins, Mohammad Salim
Published By: Springer2014

2010
Chapter Title: Structural aspects of metal ion binding in small natural and artificial RNA enzymes
Book Title: Metal Ions in Life Sciences: Structural and Catalytic Roles of Metals in RNA
Author List: J.E. Wedekind
Edited By: A. Sigel, S. Sigel, R. Sigel
Published By: Wiley-Blackwell2010

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