About the Principal Investigator
Training
| Degree: |
B.A. in Biological Sciences and French Literature |
| Institution: |
University of California, Santa Barbara |
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| Degree: |
Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
| Institution: |
University of California, Los Angeles |
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| Degree: |
American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow |
| Institution: |
California Institute of Technology |
Current Position
| Position: |
Assistant Professor |
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Expertise
| Protein arginine N-methyltransferase biochemistry; post-translational modifications; arginine methylation; enzyme kinetics |
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About The Lab
The Frankel Laboratory is comprised of a team of researchers that include post-graduate and graduate trainees, as well as undergraduate students. The work that we do requires a fundamental understanding of the basic sciences, and each member has been trained in or exposed to any one or combination of the following areas: biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, chemistry, microbiology, and cell biology. In addition to possessing a firm understanding of these areas, trainees are motivated individuals with excellent communication and writing skills who are asked routinely to come up with creative solutions to answer interesting biochemical questions.
Projects
The current thrust in our laboratory are investigations centered on a family of human enzymes called protein arginine N-methyltransferases (PRMTs), which transfer methyl groups from S-adenosyl-L-methionine to arginine residues within proteins. Chemically, this post-translational modification alters the hydrogen-bonding capability of the decorated residue without significantly changing its positive charge. Biologically, arginine methylation plays important roles in facilitating gene expression and repression, processing nascent RNA transcripts, and participating in DNA damage repair. To learn more about ongoing projects in the laboratory, please contact Dr. Frankel directly.
Selected Publications
- Lakowski, T.M., 't Hart, P., Ahern, C.A., Martin, N.I., and Frankel, A. N(eta)-Substituted Arginyl Peptide Inhibitors of Protein Arginine N-Methyltransferases. ACS Chem. Biol. (2010) 5, 1053-10631
- Thomas, D., Lakowski, T.M., Pak, M.L., Kim, J.J., and Frankel, A. Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Measurements of Cofactor-Dependent Effects on Protein Arginine N-Methyltransferase Homodimerization. Protein Sci. (2010) 19, 2141-2151
- Lakowski, T.M., Zurita-Lopez, C., Clarke, S.G., and Frankel, A. Approaches to measuring the activities of protein arginine N-methyltransferases. Anal. Biochem. (2010) 397, 1-11
- Lakowski, T.M., and Frankel, A. Sources of AdoHcy background in measuring PRMT activity using tandem mass spectrometry. Anal. Biochem. (2010) 396, 158-160
- Lakowski, T.M., and Frankel, A. Kinetic Analysis of Human Protein Arginine N-Methyltransferase 2: Formation of Monomethyl- and Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Residues on Histone H4. Biochemical J. (2009) 421, 253-261
- Lakowski, T.M., and Frankel, A. A Kinetic Study of Human Protein Arginine N-Methyltransferase 6 Reveals a Distributive Mechanism. J. Biol. Chem. 283 (2008) 283, 10015-10025
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