Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
As a Postdoctoral Fellow, I study the molecular interactions between DNA and proteins that bind DNA to perform essential biological processes related to genome maintenance. These proteins are dynamic helicases/translocases (motor proteins) and proteins that bind single-stranded DNA (SSBs) with high affinity. I characterize these proteins and how they interact with DNA using several biophysical and biochemical methods. We can reveal mechanisms that enable proteins to manipulate DNA by quantifying these processes using such methods. A detailed understanding of these processes can aid us in understanding how cells regulate the replication, recombination, and repair of genomic DNA, as well as give insights into aberrations in these processes, which may lead to disease.