Structure-guided drug development for treatment of rifampin-resistant TB

X-ray crystallographic study of the mechanism of transcription

Cryo-EM to capture structures of macromoles in transcription process

X-ray crystal structure of RNA polymerase and DksA/ppGpp complex

Bacteriophage N4 RNA polymerase

Welcome to the Murakami Lab at Penn State University

Our research focus has been on revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying gene expression and transcription regulation in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes as well as SARS_CoV_2.

Open Positions (Postdoc, Graduate and Undergraduate students)

Latest news:

February 22, 2025: A paper reporting the cryo-EM structure of human DNA polymerase δ is published (JBC).

February 5, 2025: Katsu Murakami is appointed as Director of Center for Structural Biology, Penn State Huck Institutes of Life Science.

November 1, 2024: Manju Narwal is promoted to being an Assistant Research Professor.

June 11-16, 2023: Manju Narwal, Rishi Vishwakarma and George Fordjour presented their researches at the Gordon Research Conference “Mechanism of Microbial Transcription”

April 10, 2023: A paper reporting the SARS_CoV_2 main protease (Mpro) and polyprotein interaction is published (JBC). Press release (Penn State News).

February 7, 2023: A paper reporting the allosteric mechanism of NusG-dependent transcription pausing is published (PNAS).

January 1, 2023: Natalie Smith (MCIBS) and George Fordjour (BMMB) joined the Murakami lab as graduate students