Projects:

    tmRNA, a small RNA found in all bacteria, is very unusual because it contains properties of both a tRNA and an mRNA. It regulates gene expression through tagging certain nascent polypeptides for degradation. I am interested in how the regulatory role of tmRNA is integrated into other signaling and control pathways. To answer this question, I will combine bacterial genetics and microarray studies to identify and characterize mutants that bypass tmRNA phenotypes or are synthetically lethal with tmRNA mutations.