Research Interests:
The assembly of viruses inside infected cells involves numerous protein-protein interactions. These interactions are often orchestrated by scaffolding proteins. Analogous to scaffoldings used in building construction, these proteins ensure the integrity and efficiency of progeny formation but are not found in the final product. Once the virus is assembled, it must transport its genetic material to the next cell to be infected. The broad objective of our research program is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in scaffolding-mediated assembly and the transportation of the viral genome through a specialized DNA-translocating conduit.