Charlotte Group for Proteostasis Research (CGPR)
What is Proteostasis?
Proteostasis is the process that allow organisms to maintain a healthy balance of proteins. This is a complex process that involves the correct production, folding, transportation and degradation of all proteins in the cell.
What are the goals of the CGPR?
The CGPR consist of a network of researchers at UNC Charlotte that study various aspects of proteostasis. Many of the group have published studies and been awarded research grants together. We have regular meetings to discuss recent work in the field and to share our own findings. The CGPR aims to promote a rich training experience for undergraduate and graduate students by providing hands-on training with purified proteins, single-celled and multicellular organisms to understand the response to environmental stress.
Andrew Truman (Group Leader)
The Chaperone Code
Dr. Truman studies the many post-translational modifications of Hsp70, including their role, regulation and how they are altered in disease.
For lab website, click here
Patricija van Oosten-Hawle
Organismal Proteostasis
Dr. van Oosten-Hawle studies how Hsp90 and cross-tissue stress signaling regulate organismal proteostasis in health, aging and disease using C. elegans as a model system.
For lab website, click here
Adam Reitzel
Evolution of Molecular Chaperones
Dr. Reitzel studies the response of marine organisms to heat stress and the evolution of core chaperones including Hsp70 and Hsp90.
For lab website, click here
Kristen Funk
Viruses and Neurodegenerative disease
Dr. Funk studies the connection between viral infection and the protein misfolding associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
For lab website, click here
Kausik Chakrabarti
Telomeres and molecular chaperones
Dr. Chakrabarti studies many facets of telomeres including how they are regulated by chaperones such as Hsp60, Hsp70 and Hsp90.
For lab website, click here
Paola Lopez-Duarte
Stress integration by marine organisms
Dr. Lopez-Duarte studies how marine organisms integrate multiple stress signals that include heat, tidal forces and circadian cycles.
For lab website, click here
Valery Z. Grdzelishvili
Interplay between chaperones and viruses
Dr. Grdzelishvili studies how viruses may utilize host chaperone machinery for infection and replication.
For lab website, click here
Richard Chi
Protein trafficking and autophagy
Dr. Chi studies the processes that govern the delivery and exchange of biological cargoes that include nutrients and signaling receptors.
For lab website, click here
In Hong Yang
Organelle trafficking in neurological disorders
Dr. Yang is developing HTS tools to screen drugs that control organelle trafficking in neurological disorders.
For lab website, click here
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M. Brittany Johnson
Interplay between proteostasis and infection
Dr. Johnson studies how bacterial infection impacts cellular proteostasis.
For lab website, click here
Didier Dreau
Chaperones and the Inflammasome
Dr. Dreau studies inflammasome signaling in breast cancer.
For lab website, click here
Don Jacobs
Understanding protein dynamics for drug discovery.
Dr. Javobs studies protein function, protein interactions and environmental effects from a physics point of view.
For lab website, click here
