New NSF Grant

We are thrilled by a new NSF award “Role of tRNA base modifications in genetic code accuracy and cellular fitness”, in collaboration with Rebecca Alexander of Wake Forest University and Jonathan Minden of Carnegie Mellon University. This project has been a longtime labor of love focused on a peculiar set of mutations that evolved in a screen for beneficial mutations. Remarkably, these mutations point to adaptations leading to mistranslation, and together we will understand how and why. Each lab is seeking a Ph.D student or technician who is interested in learning how natural selection shapes the fidelity of translation, and how cells might monitor homeostasis via tRNAs.