麻豆传媒

Dr. Berglund began studying biochemistry in 1990 with a focus on the structures that RNA can adopt and their role in biology. His interests expanded to determining the mechanisms through which RNA binding proteins recognize RNA motifs in pre-mRNA splicing. As a graduate student he was the first to show that proteins conserved from yeast to humans specifically recognize an RNA motif that is essential for the recognition and removal of introns in pre-mRNA splicing. In his own laboratory, he and his group began studying the molecular mechanisms of myotonic dystrophy. This led to his laboratory solving the first crystal structure of CUG repeats, the toxic RNA that causes myotonic dystrophy type 1. They have solved additional structures of CUG repeats leading to a better understanding of the dynamics of the repeats and insights into the toxicity of the repeats. One of the mechanisms through which the CUG repeats and CCUG repeats for myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) are toxic is the sequestration of the muscleblind-like (MBNL) family of RNA binding proteins. The sequestration of MBNL proteins leads to many changes in splicing, which are implicated in causing the symptoms in DM. His laboratory, along with several other groups in the field, have identified some of the mechanisms through which the MBNL family of proteins regulate splicing providing a better framework for understanding the mis-splicing in myotonic dystrophy. For many years the group has investigated using small molecules to target the toxic CUG and CCUG repeats of DM. These efforts have led to the identification of molecules that rescue the mis-splicing in DM1 cell and mouse models. Recently the group has shown that targeting the production of the toxic RNA shows promise as a potential approach to identify lead compounds for developing therapeutics.

 

Auinash (Nash) Kalsotra is a professor and Willam C. Rose Scholar of Biochemistry in the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also is an adjunct professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cancer Center@Illinois, and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. 
Kalsotra is a Chan Zuckerburg Biohub Chicago investigator, a Beckman Institute fellow, and an associate editor of the WIREs RNA journal (Wiley).
He received his undergraduate degree in pharmacy from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India (1999). While earning his PhD at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, he was a Harry S. and Isabel Cameron doctoral fellow and studied the role of cytochromes P450 in the progression and resolution of inflammation. During his postdoctoral work as a Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation fellow and an American Heart Association young investigator at Baylor College of Medicine, he began his studies on post-transcriptional gene regulation and RNA biology in human health and disease. Kalsotra started his independent research group in 2013.
He teaches MCB 354: The Biochemical and Physical Basis of Life, a course with large enrolments of over more than 400 students each academic yera. As a junior faculty mentor and advisor, he provides guidance and support to pre-tenured faculty in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology.
As an active member of the RNA Society, Kalsotra has organized/chaired scientific sessions at various national and international meetings. He also serves as an expert reviewer for several funding agencies and journals. Additionally, as a steering committee member of the Rustbelt RNA community, he is involved in guiding RNA research in the Midwest, promoting long-term efforts to ensure the viability of the annual RRM conference, and fostering the professional development of students from smaller universities and predominantly undergraduate institutions.
Research interests
Kalsotra’s research interests are to uncover the biological function(s) of RNA in tissue development, regeneration, and disease. He is particularly interested in understanding:

how various RNA processing mechanisms integrate with transcriptional, translational, and metabolic programs to ensure normal tissue growth and function,
why misregulation of these mechanisms results in disease, and
whether they can be leveraged to prevent or reverse particular human disorders.

Recent work from the Kalsotra laboratory has resulted in many high-profile publications, e.g., Genes & Dev., J. Exp. Med, Genome Res., Dev. Cell, J. Clin. Invest., PNAS, Nature Struct. Mol. Biol., eLife, and Nature Commun. He has also published invited articles, including perspectives and opinions in Nature Reviews, Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev., Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. Kalsotra is regularly invited to present his research findings at major conferences, universities, and research centers. His research activities have been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Chan Zuckerburg Initiative, March of Dimes, and American Heart Association.
 
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