معرفی
Nancy C. Horton is a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona, with joint faculty appointments in Biochemistry. Her research focuses on understanding the structures and mechanisms of proteins involved in DNA and RNA processing, particularly enzymes that modulate their activity through filament formation. She leads the Horton Lab, which employs structural techniques like X-ray crystallography, NMR, and cryo-electron microscopy alongside biochemical and high-throughput methods.
Dr. Horton received her B.S. in Chemistry from Southern Illinois University (1986) and Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania (1994). She completed postdoctoral training at The Upjohn Company and the University of California, Santa Barbara, before establishing her independent lab at the University of Arizona in 2001. Her work has contributed significantly to understanding enzyme filamentation in cellular defense mechanisms and host-virus interactions, particularly with Human Parvovirus B19.
Research interests include structural biology, biophysics, and the functional implications of protein filaments. Her lab has elucidated the structural basis of enzyme activation via filamentation and its role in DNA cleavage specificity. She also engages in education initiatives, teaching courses on the molecular basis of life and professional development for graduate students.
Key contributions include the discovery of enzyme filamentation as a regulatory mechanism and structural studies of SgrAI and NS1 proteins. The lab collaborates broadly, leveraging multi-scale modeling and experimental approaches to study macromolecular complexes. Dr. Horton’s work bridges basic science and translational research, with implications for antiviral drug development and understanding fundamental biological processes.
