RNA polymerase is the central enzyme of gene expression in all free-living organisms. We seek to understand how the fundamental properties of RNA polymerase, largely conserved from bacteria to human, make it susceptible to pausing, arrest, or termination and how elongation regulators, nucleoprotein structures, and metabolic, developmental, and environmental signals alter these properties.
We study the mechanisms by which gene expression by RNA polymerase is regulated and can be re-programmed for biodesign, and how these basic research advances can be applied to microbial biotechnology and to antibiotic discovery. Members of our lab develop and apply expertise from a variety of scientific disciplines, including genetics, biomolecular chemistry, synthetic biology, systems biology, biophysics, and structural biology, to both individual and collaborative projects.
News
Congratulations to Dr. Jason Saba!
Jason Saba successfully defended his thesis “Promoter inversion and anti-termination control mechanisms regulating capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis in the human gut symbiote Bacteroides fragilis” on June 24. Congratulations!
Hustmyer receives Denton Award for Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring
Congratulations to Christine on her receipt of the Denton Award! The Denton Award for Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring honors IPiB students who provide exceptional commitment, guidance, and scientific training in mentoring and …
Congratulations to Dr. Christine Hustmyer!
Christine Hustmyer successfully defended her thesis “H-NS-mediated Mechanisms of Transcription Elongation Silencing and Counter-silencing in K-12 and Uropathogenic Escherichia coli” on June 4. Congratulations! Read more about it in the link above.