Ramirez, Ana S.
Ana S. Ramirez
Assistant Professor
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Structural and mechanistic investigation of the GPI-anchor biosynthesis pathway
Structural and mechanistic investigation of the GPI-anchor biosynthesis pathway
Our research aims to elucidate the mechanism of membrane transporters, flippases, and polymerases involved in bacterial cell wall biosynthesis, unravel how their function influences bacterial adaptation, discover inhibitory molecules for the development of new antimicrobials, and repurpose the activity of these proteins for applications in the synthesis of glycoconjugates. Our lab uses a multidisciplinary approach, combing techniques such as single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), x-ray crystallography, live cell assays, and various buichemical/biophysical methods to study the function and molecular mechanism of membrane proteins.
Catalytic mechanisms and structure-function correlations of metalloenzymes; biomedically essential oxygenases
Biosynthesis and regulation of plant cell wall synthesis and deposition, post-translational modifications, glycan imaging and dynamics.
Engineering tRNA technology to build novel proteins with selenocysteine.
Translational research in biomaterials (antifouling, antiplatelet, antibacterial, and antiviral) for tissue engineering and medical device applications
Plant genome biology with a focus on crops and medicinal plants; Synthetic biology; Evolution of natural product biosynthesis
Organic and medicinal chemistry; carbohydrate chemistry; glycomimetics; drug design and development with emphasis on multi-drug resistant infectious diseases
The Huet Lab will use metabolomics and CRISPR-based approaches to understand the mitochondrial and organellar biology of a class of protozoan parasites, the apicomplexans.