John Gross, PhD

Gross
Phone: +1 415 502-1897
600 16th Street, Rm S512E
UCSF Box 2280
San Francisco, CA 94158
United States

What I do

I am interested in protein structure and dynamics related to gene expression. We study changes in protein structure that occur on time scales ranging from millions of years to a millionth of a second, with a focus on basic questions of how viruses cross-species and give rise to modern pandemics or how enzyme function is fine-tuned by cellular cues. Research in this area guides development of therapeutics for infectious disease and cancer.

My research expertise

NMR spectroscopy, structural biology, enzymology

Professional background

Biography

We investigate molecular machines that coordinate gene expression or antiviral immunity. Research areas include : i- RNA decay enzymes that act in mRNA quality control and gene regulatory pathways, and ii- nucleic acid based immune systems that protect animals from viruses and neutralization of these systems by viral accessory proteins. We use tools from molecular biophysics to understand the structure and regulatory conformational dynamics in these systems with the ultimate goal of defining molecular mechanisms and avenues for structure based drug design.

Research keywords

  • Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins
  • RNA, Fungal
  • vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
  • Endoribonucleases
  • Cytosine Deaminase
  • APOBEC-3G Deaminase
  • RNA Stability
  • RNA Caps
  • Gene Products, vif
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • Schizosaccharomyces
  • Cytidine Deaminase
  • Cullin Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins