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RESEARCH

The research of the Gennerich lab is focused on the development of advanced high-resolution and single-molecule microscopy techniques and their application to study how biomolecular motors work and generate biological motion. In particular, the Gennerich Lab combines single-molecule biophysics with molecular biology and biochemistry to study the molecular mechanisms underlying cell division, intracellular organelle and mRNA transport, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of transcription elongation by RNA polymerases. Current research is focused on the molecular functions of the microtubule-associated motor proteins, cytoplasmic dynein and kinesin (molecular machines that harnesses the chemical energy of ATP hydrolysis to perform mechanical work in eukaryotic cells), the regulation of RNA polymerase II-based transcription elongation by nucleosomes, and the molecular mechanism of transcription elongation by RNA polymerase III. The lab uses a multidisciplinary approach integrating ultrasensitive single-molecule assays (high-resolution optical trapping and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy) and genetic approaches such as homologous recombination to dissect the mechanisms of microtubule- and DNA-based motor proteins. The lab's long-term goal is to understand the fundamental design principles of biomolecular motors and the molecular basis of human diseases with underlying defects in motor function.