James Cole
Email: james.cole@uconn.edu
Office Phone: (860) 486-4333
Lab Phone: (860) 486-0926

James Cole started out his career in science as a Chemistry major at Brown University but switched to Biochemistry. After obtaining an Sc.B. in Biochemistry, he worked at Tufts University Medical School for a year before beginning graduate work in Biophysical Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. He worked with Kenneth Sauer and Mel Klein on the structure and function of the manganese photosynthetic oxygen evolving complex using EPR and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. He did postdoctoral research on the electronic and geometric structure of multicopper oxidases with Edward Solomon at Stanford University. He then worked at Merck Research Laboratories in antiviral drug discovery. He moved to the University of Connecticut in 2001 where he is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Department of Chemistry.

Click here for a CV

Deepa Prednekar
Email: deepa.prednekar@uconn.edu

Andy Wowor
Email:andy.wowor@uconn.edu

I am investigating the linked equilibria that govern oligomerization of the SecA protein. SecA mediates preprotein translocation through the SecYEG channel using ATP hydrolysis. Although SecA has been studied intensely, the oligomeric state of SecA remains perplexing, especially during protein transport.

Click here for a CV.

Click here to see a dance representation of Andy's doctoral thesis, "DNA Structural Selectivity of Binding by the Pol I DNA Polymerases from Escherichia coli and Thermus aquaticus."

Click here to see an impromptu dance session of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" organized by Andy at the Gibbs conference, 2010.

Bushra Husain
Email: bushra.husain@uconn.edu

Katie Launer-Felty
Email: katherine.launer-felty@uconn.edu

I am characterizing the structure and function of the PKR inhibitor Adenovirus virus-associated RNA I (VAI) using a variety of structural and biophysical techniques. Although VAI has been extensively studied, its mode of inhbition is not currently well understood.

Click here for a CV.

Chris Mayo
Email: christopher.mayo@uconn.edu

I work on two protein regulators of PKR- PACT and NS1. PACT is an endogenous protein which, in vivo, activates PKR in response to cellular stress. As a lab interested in the mechanism of PKR activation, PACT is particularly interesting because it is the only known protein activator of PKR.
NS1 is a protein expressed by Influenza virus during infection and functions as an inhibitor of PKR. Elucidating how NS1 inhibits PKR may shed light on PKR’s mechanism of activation and will also aid in rational drug design. 

Click here for a CV.

Click here to see Chris's rendition of "Friday" by Rebecca Black.

Mike Bruno
Email: michael.bruno@uconn.edu

Eric Anderson

Ray Brown
XTAL-BioStructures
Email: ray.brown@xtalbiostructures.com

Peregrine Bell-Upp
Johns Hopkins University
Email: peregrine.bell-up@uconn.edu

Matthew Calabrese
St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital
Email: matthew.calabrese@yale.edu

Paul Gacek
CDD Epidemiology Fellow, CT Dept. of Health
Email: Paul.Gacek@ct.gov

Peter Lemaire
Merck Research Laboratories
Email: peter_lemaire@merck.com

Sowmya Paturi

Christine Quartararo
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Email: christine.quartararo@uconn.edu

Doug Snyder

Jason Ucci
Email: oochfactor@optonline.net