Scripps Research Joint Appointments

Faculty, Kellogg School of Science and Technology

Research Focus

Structural Studies Of Complexes Involved In Eukaryotic Trancription And Its Regulation

Our research focuses on structural studies of macromolecular complexes involved in eukaryotic gene expression and its control, which underlies cell differentiation and development, the response of organisms to many environmental cues, and plays a significant role in the onset of diseases such as cancer. Control of gene expression is mostly effected through DNA transcription regulation and chromatin structure remodeling. The macromolecular complexes involved in these processes are very large (MW > 1x106 Da), and cryoelectron microscopy is the ideal tool for their structural characterization. Information contained in thousands of images of single particles is combined to calculate 3-D structures of complexes in physiologically relevant states. We are studying complexes formed by RNA polymerase II and general transcription factors (which together comprise the basal transcription machinery, responsible for synthesis of all mRNA), of coactivator complexes that act as the necessary interface with activator and repressor proteins that bind to DNA regulatory sequences, and of complexes that use energy from ATP to alter chromatin structure, making it accessible to the transcription apparatus.

Education

Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1989

Awards & Professional Activities

Research Scholar Award, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America.

Selected References

Brignole, E.J., Smith, S., and Asturias, F.J. 2009. Conformational Flexibility of Metazoan Fatty Acid Synthase Enables Catalysis. Nat Struct Mol Biol In Press.

Chaban, Y.L., Ezeokonkwo, C., Chung, W.H., Zhang, F., Kornberg, R.D., Maier-Davis, B., Lorch, Y., and Asturias, F.J. 2008. Structure of a RSC-nucleosome complex and insights into chromatin remodeling. Nat Struct Mol Biol 15:1272-1277.

Takagi, Y., Calero, G., Komori, H., Brown, J. A., Ehrensberger, A. H., Hudmon, A., Asturias, F. J., and Kornberg, R. D. 2006. Head Module Control of Mediator Interactions Mol Cell 23:355-364.

Chung, W.H., Craighead, J.L., Chang, W.H., Ezeokonkwo, C., Bareket-Samish, A., Kornberg, R.D., and F.J. Asturias. 2003. RNA Polymerase II/TFIIF Structure and Conserved Organization of the Initiation Complex. Mol Cell 12:1003-1013.