John Chen
Education
B.S. (2008), Biochemistry/Cell Biology - UC San Diego
B.S. (2009), Chemistry - UC San Diego
Current Research Focus
Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (AARS) are responsible the transfer of their amino acid to the 2' or 3' hydroxyl group of their cognate tRNA. However, AARS have evolved appended domains that have critical roles in cell signaling, such as inflammation, angiogenesis, and gene regulation. Likewise, some mutatations that do not abolish canonical AARS aminoacylation activity have been linked to a variety of human diseases.
Recent evidence has shown that Seryl tRNA synthetase (SerRS) may play a non-canonical role in vascular development. Knock-out mutants cause irregular vascular branching as well as embryonic death in zebrafish. My current goals include obtaining structural information as to how SerRS is a key player in angiogenesis.
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