Nicholas
Brown

The Brown lab focuses on dissecting the complex enzymatic mechanisms of ubiquitin ligases. By reconstituting dynamic biological processes in a cell-free system of purified proteins, we have uncovered multiple mechanisms that control cell cycle transitions, identified chromatin regulators as substrates, and demonstrated how mutations in these enzymes result in neuro-developmental disorders (e.g., CHIP). These biochemical and biophysical approaches allow us to interrogate how CHIP prevents tau aggregation in unprecedented detail so it can be harnessed for therapeutic purposes.