Associate Professor

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, School of Public Health
Program Advisor for Student Matters, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

My laboratory aims to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating eukaryotic signaling of pathways. This knowledge provides the framework needed to interpret how alterations to a pathway, such as additional proteins, mutations to pathway components, or small molecules, modulate activity and could help guide targeted therapies. To achieve this, my lab employs a multi-prong approach that combines cell-based assays, biochemistry, enzymology, biophysics, and structural biology.   

Biophysics and Structural Biology | Cancer Biology | Cellular Stress and Cell Signaling | Chemical Biology and Proteomics

Selected Publications

Weingartner KA, Tran T, Tripp KW, Kavran JM. Dimerization and autophosphorylation of the MST family of kinases are controlled by the same set of residues. The Biochemistry Journal, 2023.

Koehler TJ, Tran T, Weingartner KA, Kavran JM. Kinetic Regulation of the Mammalian Sterile 20-like Kinase 2 (MST2). Biochemistry, 2022.

Tran T, Mitra J, Ha T, Kavran JM. Increasing kinase domain proximity promotes MST2 autophosphorylation during Hippo signaling. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2020. Selected as an Editor’s Pick.

Cairns L, Patterson A, Weingartner KA, Koehler TJ, DeAngelis DR, Tripp KW, Bothner B, Kavran JM. Biophysical characterization of SARAH domain-mediated multimerization of Hippo pathway complexes in Drosophila. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2020.

Cairns L, Tran T, Fowl BH, Patterson A, Kim YJ, Bothner B, Kavran JM. Salvador has an extended SARAH domain that mediates binding to Hippo kinase. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2018.

Learn More

NCBI Bibliography | Faculty Profile | Lab Website | LinkedIn | Twitter