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picture of Donald F. Senear
 Donald F. Senear

University of California

3230 BS II
 Mail Code: 3900
 Irvine, CA 92697

PHONE: (949)824-8014, 8013
FAX: (949) 824-8551

E-MAIL: dfsenear@uci.edu

 

Donald F. Senear
Professor, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
School of Biological Sciences
PH.D., University of Washington
Research Interests
Regulatory Energetics and Protein-DNA Assemblies

Faculty/lab web:
http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~faculty/senear/
 
Graduate Programs:
 Mechanisms of Gene Expression Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics Protein Engineering Biotechnology
 
Professional Society The Biophysical Society The Protein Society
 
Abstract
Our goal is to understand the fundamental mechanisms of transcriptional regulation at the level of macromolecular structure, function and interactions. Initiation of transcription, the primary point for control of gene expression, is regulated by the spontaneous assembly of regulatory protein and DNA containing complexes. Specific promoters are metabolically or developmentally regulated through coupling interactions between the site-specific protein-DNA interactions and protein-protein interactions, protein and DNA conformational transitions and allosteric transitions mediated by binding of regulatory ligands.

Understanding the chemical basis for these macromolecular interactions provides the foundation to understand biological mechanisms of metabolic regulation, differentiation and development, and carcinogenesis.


Other Experience
Updated: Last Updated: 12/23/2002

  Tretyachenko-Ladokhina, V, Ross, J.B.A. & Senear, D.F. (2002) "Operator Site Binding by the E. coli CytR Repressor Protein: Different Binding Modes for Different Operators Suggests a Role in Differential Gene Regulation", J. Mol. Biol. 316 (3), 531-546.

Gavigan S.A., Nguyen T., Nguyen N., Senear D.F. (1999) "Role of Multiple CytR Binding Sites on Cooperativity, Competition and Induction at the Escherichia coli udp Promoter" J. Biol Chem 274, 16010-16019.


Rusinova, E., Ross, J.B.A., Laue, T.M., Sowers, L.C. & Rhee, K.Y., Senear, D.F. & Hatfield, G.W. (1998) "Transcriptional Activation by a Ligand-induced Conformational Change in a Protein-DNA Complex" J. Biol. Chem. 273, 11257-11266.

Rusinova, E., Ross, J.B.A., Laue, T.M., Sowers, L.C. & Senear, D.F. (1997) "Linkage Between Operator Binding and Dimer to Octamer Assembly of Bacteriophage Lambda Repressor" Biochemistry 42, 12994-13003

Barbier, C., Short, S & Senear, D.F. (1997) "The Allosteric Mechansim of Induction of CytR Controlled Gene Expression" J. Biol Chem. 272, 16962-16971.

Huang, Y.T. Rusinova, E., Ross, J.B.A. & Senear, D.F. (1997) "An Aromatic Stacking Interaction Between Subunits Helps Mediate DNA Sequence Specificity: Operator Site Discrimination by Phage Lambda cI Repressor ", J. Mol. Biol. 267, 403-417..

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