Barbara Golden

Title:

Professor

PhD Granting Institution:

Duke University

Contact:

Email Address: barbgolden@purdue.edu
Office Phone: 765-496-6166
Lab Website Link: https://ag.purdue.edu/directory/rna

Primary Training Group:

Biomolecular Structure and Biophysics

Secondary Training Groups:

Chemical Biology

Research Areas:

The focus of our research is the structure and folding of catalytic RNAs. Unlike proteins, RNAs have a highly charged backbone, only 4 different monomeric units (compared to the 20 amino acids that make up proteins) and functional groups that are largely sequestered within the majorand minor grooves of the double helix. Yet, in the presence of magnesium ion, many RNA molecules have stable, globular, tertiary structures that support biological catalysis. To understand how these molecules fold and function, we are investigating RNA structures by X-ray crystallography. Our research is concentrated on RNA enzymes, or ribozymes, that display catalytic activity in the complete absence of protein cofactors.

Current Projects:

The Golden lab has developed a prototype ribozyme named the STARzyme (specific tRNA aminoacylating ribozyme) that is capable of selective, anticodon-specific recognition of tRNA substrates. We created this catalyst by fusing a T-box riboswitch, which selectively binds a cognate tRNA, with the flexizyme, an artificial ribozyme that can aminoacylate the CCA-tail of any tRNA. Our preliminary data demonstrate that the ribozyme can charge this tRNA with an amino acid in vitro and in bacteria. In contrast to the cellular synthetases, the STARzyme can be rationally programmed to recognize a variety of anticodon loops. Because specificity of the catalytic module is driven by the activating group and not the amino acid side chain, a single catalyst can be used to explore a variety of substrates, including otherwise toxic amino acids. Because the system is RNA-based, it can be readily expressed in a wide variety of cells, including non-model organisms.