Skip to main content

Christopher Lima studies the structural, biochemical, and functional basis for macromolecules involved in post-translational protein modification, as well as pathways that contribute to RNA maturation, processing, and decay. Currently, his team is trying to understand how conjugation cascades for ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins achieve selectivity for particular targets, and how the resulting conjugation generates signals in processes ranging from DNA repair to the cell cycle. They are also focused on characterizing the RNA exosome and associated cofactors, essential multi-subunit protein complexes that catalyze the metabolism of nearly every class of cellular RNA in the nucleus and cytoplasm.