Venkat Gopalan
Professor
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Ph.D., University of New Mexico, 1991
| Research Division : |
Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics |
Contact : |
776 Biological Sciences Building |
More info : |
Research Interests: 1. RNAProtein Structure-Function Relationships
We primarily use RNase P, a catalytic ribonucleprotein (RNP), as an experimental model to understand how proteins modulate RNA structure, thereby broadening the functional repertoire of RNP enzymes. We are especially interested in mechanistic insights that can be used to understand RNAprotein cooperation and how dysfunction in this regard can lead to disease.
2. Metabolic Pathways in Salmonella enterica
We are investigating the individual roles of an asparaginase, a kinase, a deglycase, and a putative transcriptional regulator in the utilization of fructose-asparagine (F-Asn), an Amadori product, by Salmonella. In particular, we are exploring whether this distinctive metabolic capability may be exploited to design narrow-spectrum anti-Salmonella therapeutics.