Rubin Lab
UCSC
Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation and Cancer
Our broad research interests are in understanding the biochemical mechanisms that control the cell cycle.  Cell growth and division are carefully coordinated by a shifting network of biomolecular interactions.  Protein interactions regulate enzymatic activities responsible for key cell cycle events such as DNA replication, chromosome segregation, and cytokinesis.  These events have strict spatial and temporal requirements for proper cell cycle function, and deregulation of protein interaction networks is commonly associated with aberrant cell proliferation and cancer.  Understanding mechanisms of cell cycle control requires a detailed molecular picture of protein-protein interactions and how these interactions regulate enzymatic function and cellular architecture.  Our laboratory seeks to elucidate the biochemical determinants of protein interaction affinity and specificity and how these factors are affected by regulatory modifications to protein composition and structure.  We apply a variety of structural and biochemical techniques to learn in molecular detail how structural changes and chemical modifications affect biological function.  Click below for more details...
Retinoblastoma Tumor Suppressor Pathway Cyclin-Dependent Kinases X-ray Crystallography Nuclear Magnetic Resonance DREAM Complex