Rohit V. Pappu

Biography

Research in the Pappu lab is focused on intrinsically disordered proteomes. Multiscale modeling approaches and biophysical tools are used in this research. Eukaryotic proteomes are enriched in proteins that function despite being unable to fold autonomously into well defined three-dimensional structures. These intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) challenge the conventional wisdom regarding protein structure-function relationships and are involved in regulating signaling and transcription by serving as hubs in protein interaction networks. The lab is working on the sequence determinants of flavors of disorder to facilitate de novo design and remodeling of protein interaction networks. Studies are also focused on the mechanisms of IDP self-assembly that lead to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease.

Research Interest

Huntington`s disease; Polyglutamine Aggregation; Intrinsically Disordered Proteins; Phase transitions in cell biology; Self-assembly; Transcriptional regulation; Small-scale Systems Biology & Interaction Networks.