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 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:
June 9, 2020: Yeonoh Shin presented a poster at the CHESS Users’ meeting and won a poster award. Congratulations!
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. BioRxiv
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…
