Fenfei Leng, Ph.D., studies how transcription affects DNA structural changes and activates or inhibits nearby promoters. Using defined protein systems and in vivo E. coli cells, the Leng laboratory has found that transcription is a major force driving chromosome remodeling in exponentially growing bacteria. The lab has also shown that certain DNA-binding proteins, including FIS and HU, function as topological barriers that modulate localized DNA supercoiling generated by transcription. Building on these discoveries, the laboratory uses both in vitro and in vivo systems to identify and develop antibiotics that target bacterial DNA gyrase.

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Lunch will be provided.

This event is part of the Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine Seminar Series.