The CRL4 ubiquitin ligase: at the intersection of genome stability and drug discover

My research interests are in understanding the molecular basis of genome maintenance.  Our genetic information is constantly protected against endogenous and exogenous attack by enzymatic maintenance that repairs mutations and prevents duplication or deletion events. On a biomedical level, defects in these pathways are frequently associated with cancer. I focus on protein complexes at the interface of DNA repair, replication, ubiquitin biology and chromatin. My laboratory has set out to combine structural biology, cell biology and complex biochemical in vitro reconstitutions to address the molecular workings of these chromatin-bound complex assemblies. Recently, we extended our focus to understanding how small molecules can reprogram the ubiquitin system for therapeutic intervention.