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.
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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
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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
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
Valery Grdzelishvili
Oncolytic Viroltherapy
Richard Chi
Yeast Protein Trafficking
Dr. Grdzelishvili studies novel ways to use viruses to kill cancer cells.
For lab website, click here
The Chi lab studies factors that affect the delivery/exchange of biological cargoes.
For lab website, click here
Kristen Funk
Viruses and Neurodegenerative disease
Kausik Chakrabarti
Chaperones and malaria
Xiaojun Ren
Epigenetics and Phase Seperation
Dr. Funk uses murine models of viral infection to understand the roles that viruses play in the processes of CNS aging, development of AD pathology and neurodegeneration. Lab website, click here
Dr. Chakrabarti studies the interplay between chaperones (such as Hsp70 and Hsp90), RNA structure and malarial parasites. For lab website, click here
Dr. Ren mploys multidisciplinary techniques to address fundamental questions in the field of epigenetics and chromatin biology. For lab website, click here
Abbe LaBella
Codon Usage Bias
Dr. LaBella studies the importance of codon usage in the evolution of complex traits and how this may be important in human disease. For lab website, click here
