Ph.D. University of Washington
My laboratory focuses on the structure/function study of biologically important proteins by using a variety of biophysical techniques.
PmrD and PmrA/PmrB two-component system from Klebsiella pneumonia: In bacteria the two-component signal-transduction system is the most prevalent system in response to environmental stresses for transducing the information inside the cells. Understanding the structural characterizations of PmrD and PmrA/PmrB two-component system may provide valuable information about the mechanism how Klebsiella pneumoniae resists the antimicrobial peptides, such as polymyxin B, which may be helpful in drug development for the infections related to K. pneumoniae.
DNA-binding proteins: Biophysical studies of the three-C2H2 zinc finger protein in TZFP (testis zinc finger protein) and of Myb1 and Myb3 protein from Trichomonas vaginalis are currently in the progress. Especially, determination of the DNA-bound complex structures will be carried out using heteronuclear multidimensional NMR techniques and computational modeling to further gain insights into structure/function relationships.