Dissecting the chemical interactions and substrate structural signatures governing RNA polymerase II trigger loop closure by synthetic nucleic acid analogues.

The trigger loop (TL) of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is a conserved structural motif that is crucial for Pol II catalytic activity and transcriptional fidelity. The TL remains in an inactive open conformation when the mismatched substrate is bound. In contrast, TL switches from an inactive open state to a closed active state to facilitate nucleotide addition upon the binding of the cognate substrate to the Pol II active site.

Creating zinc monkey wrenches in the treatment of epigenetic disorders.

The approval of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid by the FDA for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in October, 2006 sparked a dramatic increase in the development of inhibitors for the class of enzymes known as the histone deacetylases (HDACs). In recent years, a large number of combination therapies involving histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) have been developed for the treatment of a variety of malignancies and neurodegenerative disorders. Promising evidence has been reported for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and leukemia as well as a number of other previously difficult to treat cancers.