Teaching
- Introduction to Cells and Molecules (for majors and non-majors) (BSCI105)
- Bioethics (CBMG688B)
- RNA Biology and Therapeutics (BSCI436)
Graduate Program Affiliations
- BISI-Molecular & Cellular Biology (MOCB)
Research Interests
We use small plus-strand RNA viruses to study sequences and structures involved in translation and replication and the switch between these two activities, which are incompatible with each other. We also study the evolution of 3' translational enhancers and the overlap between translation elements and replication elements.
Precise temporal control is needed for RNA viral genomes to translate sufficient replication-required products before clearing ribosomes and initiating replication. We study the switch between translation and replication using small RNA virus model systems that are translated using a cap-independent mechanism: Turnip crinkle virus (TCV), Saguaro cactus virus (SCV), and Pea enation mosaic virus (PEMV). We recently discovered a new paradigm for translation, where a 3’ translational enhancer in TCV overlaps an internal tRNA-like structure that binds to 60S ribosomal subunits. We investigate the higher order structure in the region and have found that the tRNA-like structure forms a stable scaffold that allows for simultaneous interactions with external sequences through base pairings on both sides of its large internal symmetrical loop. Binding of TCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) to the region potentiates a widespread conformational shift with substantial rearrangement of the element required for efficient ribosome binding. The 3’ end of TCV folds into a compact, highly interactive structure allowing RdRp access to multiple elements including the 3’ end, which causes structural changes that potentiate the shift between translation and replication. Surprisingly, only one other virus in the same genus as TCV contains a tRNA-like structure in the 3’UTR, and thus we investigate SCV to determine if its Y-shaped structure performs similar functions.
Education & Positions
- B.A., University of California San Diego
- Ph.D., Indiana University, 1982
- Postdocs, Indiana University and University of California San Diego
