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Eugene Valkov

Eugene Valkov, D.Phil.

  • Center for Cancer Research
  • National Cancer Institute
RNA Biology Laboratory

RESEARCH SUMMARY

What determines the fate of mRNA at the end of the gene expression pathway? Our approach to exploring this question involves studying reconstituted systems through biochemistry and structural analysis. This strategy allows us to formulate detailed models of the interactions and mechanisms involved. We have developed methods for the recombinant production and biochemical characterization of numerous human factors and complexes crucial to regulating mRNA. Our tools include high-resolution imaging by cryo-EM and computational approaches using machine learning, complemented by thorough biochemical validation of interfaces and biophysical measurements of affinity, stoichiometry, and kinetics of interactions. While our research focuses on fundamental biological phenomena, which are key to all eukaryotic life, we have begun applying our expertise and unique tools towards assisting the development of the next generation of RNA-based therapeutics for cancer treatment.

Areas of Expertise

RNA Decay and Surveillance Pathways
Structural Biology of Regulatory RNA/Protein Complexes
Molecular Interactions of RNA-Binding Proteins
RNA-Based and RNA-Targeted Therapeutics
RNA Mechanisms in Cancer and Metastasis

Publications

Selected Recent Publications

Deadenylation kinetics of mixed poly(A) tails at single-nucleotide resolution

Lee YS, Levdansky Y, Jung Y, Kim VN & Valkov E
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 2024.
Full-Text Article
[ Journal Article ]

Structure and assembly of the NOT10:11 module of the CCR4-NOT complex

Levdansky Y, Raisch T, Deme JC, Pekovic F, Elmlund H, Lea SM & Valkov E
Communications Biology. 2023.
Full-Text Article
[ Journal Article ]

Regulation of the multisubunit CCR4-NOT deadenylase in the initiation of mRNA degradation

Raisch T & Valkov E
Current Opinion in Structural Biology. 2022.
Full-Text Article
[ Journal Article ]

The nexus between RNA-binding proteins and their effectors

He S, Valkov E, Cheloufi S & Murn J
Nature Reviews Genetics. 2022.
Full-Text Article
[ Journal Article ]

RNF219 attenuates global mRNA decay through inhibition of CCR4-NOT complex-mediated deadenylation

Poetz F, Corbo J, Levdansky Y, Spiegelhalter A, Lindner D, Magg V, Lebedeva S, Schweiggert J, Schott J, Valkov E & Stoecklin G
Nature Communications. 2021.
Full-Text Article
[ Journal Article ]

News

02/2024 - Deadenylation kinetics study with Narry Kim is published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

02/2024 - Tanner joined the lab as a postdoc.

12/2023 - Eugene gave an invited talk at SickKids Hospital in Toronto.

10/2023 - Deadenylation: Methods and Protocols, co-edited by Eugene and Aaron Goldstrohm, is published with chapters by Yevgen and Filip.

09/2023 - Filip was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the Walter Benjamin program.

08/2023 - Keiko left the lab to continue her undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland.

08/2023 - Annie and Claire joined the lab as postbacs.

08/2023 - The NIGMS funded our collaborative R01 grant with Aaron Goldstrohm on human Pumilio proteins. The NCI/CCR provided supplementary funding for our requested resources via a unique mechanism that seeks to promote intramural/extramural collaboration.

07/2023 - Cryo-EM structures of NOT1/10/11 complexes are published in Communications Biology.

07/2023 - Jade joined the lab as a postbac and part of the NCI Intramural Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (iCURE) program.

06/2023 - Keiko joined the lab as a summer intern.

05/2023 - Filip's study of RBP-directed deadenylation is published in Nucleic Acids Research — part of this work Filip carried out at the NCI.

04/2023 - Leah accepted an offer to join Jan Lowe's lab at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology as a Ph.D. student.

03/2023 - Eugene gave an invited talk at the University of California at Riverside.

03/2023 - Yevgen was among the two students recognized this year with the Center for Cancer Research Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award

03/2023 - Khadija left the lab to return to her family in Morocco.

12/2022 - Adrianna left to pursue a medical degree at the University of Queensland, Australia.

12/2022 - Yevgen defended his Ph.D. thesis virtually at the University of Tuebingen, Germany, with an overall distinction of Magna Cum Laude.

12/2022 - Eugene gave an invited lecture at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

12/2022 - The Current Opinion in Structural Biology collection on Protein Nucleic Acid Interactions (2022), where Eugene served as a Guest Editor, is published.

10/2022 - Eugene gave an invited lecture at Moderna headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.

07/2022 - Adrianna obtained a Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) from the NCI Intramural Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (iCURE) program.

06/2022 - Eugene gave an invited talk and chaired a session at The Post-transcriptional Control of Gene Expression Conference on RNA Decay in Jupiter, Florida.

06/2022 - Eugene joined the Editorial Board of the Journal of Structural Biology and Journal of Structural Biology: X.

04/2022 - Josh accepted an offer to join the Ph.D. program at Harvard University. After rotating through the program, he joined Jeeyun Chung's lab in the Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology.

02/2022 - Eugene successfully presented the lab's research accomplishments to the NCI/CCR leadership during the Interim Tenure-Track Review.

11/2021 - Wataru was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science as part of the Kaitoku-NIH program to support his research.