Research Description
The Feig Lab is interested in microbial biochemistry and gene regulation. We work in the area of gene regulation by small non-coding RNAs studying the biochemistry and biophysics of their function. This includes understanding how they interact with mRNA targets and RNA binding proteins like Hfq and how these complexes induce changes in expression of an mRNA. Other work in the lab focuses on the bacterial toxins from Clostridium difficile. We have made inhibitors of TcdA and TcdB and are studying how to further improve their function. Finally, we have made chimeric proteins of TcdA that allow us to take advantage of their self-transporting property. We are using these chimeras to produce proteins that can transduce cells with proteins of interest, including proteins that control the apoptosis pathway.