معرفی
Cecilia Lopez serves as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Chapman University's Schmid College of Science and Technology. Her office is located in the Keck Center for Science and Engineering 235.
Dr. Lopez specializes in the study of protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs), with particular focus on enzymes that share motifs with kinases. Her research examines how PRMTs post-translationally modify proteins by adding methyl groups to arginine residues, with special attention to PRMT7 which shares a preference for the RXR motif with the kinase Akt. Her work investigates how protein arginine methylation affects phosphorylation and contributes to cellular signaling pathways.
Dr. Lopez's recent publications demonstrate her interest in temperature-dependent protein modifications and photonic device applications. Her research on PGC-1alpha methylation reveals how temperature affects arginine methylation patterns, suggesting an additional control point for this metabolic regulatory protein involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration.
Her academic journey includes a Bachelor of Science from California State University, Los Angeles, followed by a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles where she studied under Dr. Steven Clarke. She completed postdoctoral training at Caltech studying signal recognition particles, and later worked at USC with Andrea Armani developing photonic devices and microresonators for biosensing applications.
