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P. CLINT SPIEGEL
Assistant Professor
Biochemistry

 

Department of Chemistry
Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA 98225-9150

Office: CB443
Lab: CB470

Tel: (360) 650-3137
Fax: (360) 650-2826

spiegep@chem.wwu.edu

Course Materials

Research

Curriculum Vitae


Education
B.S. Oregon State University, 1999.
Ph.D. University of Washington, 2004.
Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2004-2007.



Research Interests
My research group is interested in understanding the structural and functional properties of RNA. Recent discoveries have shown that RNA can adopt complex tertiary structure and perform various catalytic activities, similar to proteins. Current research efforts in my group involve studying ribosome structure and function. The ribosome is the primordial macromolecular machine, consisting of both RNA and protein, which performs protein synthesis and is essential to all forms of life. During protein synthesis, translation factors bind to the ribosomal subunit interface to aid in ribosomal initiation, elongation, termination, and recycling. We use solution-based structural techniques, such as “chemical footprinting”, to understand (1) how transfer RNAs (tRNAs) move through the ribosome during each step of translation and (2) how translation factors interact with the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) of the 70S ribosome. Additionally, we are interested in using the structural and evolutionary capabilities of RNA to develop new biotechnological applications.

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Department of Chemistry MS-9150
Western Washington University
516 High Street
Bellingham, WA 98225-9150
  Tel: (360)-650-3070
Fax:(360)-650-2826
chemdept@chem.wwu.edu