معرفی
Wali Karzai is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Stony Brook University. His research focuses on understanding mechanisms of protein and RNA homeostasis in bacteria, particularly through studies of tmRNA-mediated trans-translation, nonstop mRNA decay, and directed proteolysis. He leads an active lab with graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduates.
Key research areas include: (1) Adaptor-guided proteolysis by AAA+ proteases like Lon, (2) Ribosome-associated quality control of nascent polypeptides, and (3) mRNA decoding and decay pathways. His work combines protein biochemistry, structural biology, and functional genomics.
- Notable contribution: Identified the role of SmpB protein in tmRNA binding and ribosome rescue.
- Investigated the virulence role of tmRNA systems in pathogens like Yersinia and Francisella.
Recipient of the 2003 Pew Biomedical Scholars award. Current projects explore Lon protease substrate recognition, RNase R targeting mechanisms, and physiological significance of tmRNA systems in bacterial pathogenesis.
