Characterisation of multi-protein complexes

A main goal of the lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms of addition and removal of mRNA poly(A) tails, performed by Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factor (CPF), Pan2–Pan3 and Ccr4-Not. We also study the DNA crosslink repair which is mediated by the Fanconi Anaemia core complex, a large E3 ubiquitin ligase, and the FANCD2-FANCI DNA clamp.

We purify these complexes, reconstitute their biochemical activities and determine their structures to gain mechanistic insights. We use an integrated approach to establish fundamental principles underlying assembly of multi-protein complexes, define their structures, gain insight into their activities and regulation, and identify roles for proteins of unknown function.