The Patel laboratory applies cryo-EM, x-ray crystallographic and biochemical approaches to studies of macromolecular recognition, regulation and catalysis. Ongoing projects include structure-function studies of the CRISPR-Cas and cGAS-STING surveillance pathways, on the role of Structure Maintenance Chromosome complexes in mediating DNA double strand break repair, on the role of histone and DNA methylation in epigenetic regulation and on RNA-mediated processes ranging from riboswitches and ribozymes to those governing siRNA and piRNA pathways.
