Our research interests are centered on understanding the mechanism of gene expression by the enzyme RNA polymerase. We apply X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy techniques to reveal three-dimensional structures of bacterial, archaeal and bacteriophage RNA polymerases for elucidating the mechanism of RNA transcription and its regulation.

Open Positions (Postdoc, Graduate and Undergraduate students)

Latest news:

May 9, 2020: Yeonoh Shin and Catherine Sutherland graduated Penn State BMMB program. Congratulations!

May 6, 2020: A manuscript reporting structural basis of ribosomal RNA transcription regulation is submitted. Preprint is available.

March 1, 2020: Rishi Vishwakarma joined the Murakami and Babitzke’s labs as a research assistant professor. Welcome to Penn State!

Feb 21, 2020: Yeonoh passed his Ph. D. thesis defense. Congratulations!

Jan 22, 2020: A paper reporting the structural basis of reiterative transcription is published in Nucleic Acids Research.

Dec 4, 2019: A paper reporting unusual flavodoxin from Archaea (collaboration with the Ferry’s group at Penn State) is published in PNAS.

Nov 1, 2019: Manju Narwal joined the Murakami lab as a postdoctoral fellow. Welcome to Penn State!

Apr 22, 2019: Yeonoh received 2019 Paul Berg Prize in Molecular Biology. Congratulations!!

Dec 15, 2018: Wenxi An graduated Penn State with an honor, Magna Cum Laude, for top 6% of her graduation class in the College of Science. Congratulations!

Sept 20, 2018: A paper reporting the mechanism of action of kanglemycin A, a naturally occurring antibiotic active against drug-resistant tuberculosis, is published in Molecular Cell. Congratulations Vadim and Yeonoh. More…

March 28, 2018: A paper reporting the Cryo-EM structure of E. coli RNA polymerase open complex is published in J. Biol. Chem.

February 22, 2018: A paper reporting the crystal structure of E. coli RNA polymerase and DksA/ppGpp complex is published in Molecular Cell. Congratulations Vadim! More…