Jin Chen
Applied Physics
Bio-X SIGF Fellow 2012/2013
Profs. Joseph Puglisi (Structural Biology) and Michael Levitt (Structural Biology)
Ribosome translation is one of the most fundamental processes in organisms, converting the genetic code stored in RNA to proteins. Translation is an important regulatory and control point for gene expression, and an increasing number of diseases are identified as linked to misregulation of protein translation. Thus, understanding how ribosomes synthesize protein and how other protein factors interact with the ribosome during the process is crucial. The goal of Jin’s project is to use a combination of fluorescence, nanophotonic, and computational techniques to study the dynamics of single ribosomes in real-time as they synthesize proteins. Through a multiplexed detection technique, thousands of "single" ribosomes can be observed simultaneously. The single-molecule approach allows the study of the intrinsic dynamics of translation and the detection of rare translational events that may be linked to diseases. |
