Peter V. Cornish
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
E-mail:cornishp@missouri.edu
Office: 240 Schweitzer Hall
Mail: Biochemistry
117 Schweitzer Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: 573-882-0443
Fax: 573-882-5635
Lab: 573-882-0545
Educational background
| Degree | School | Location | Major |
| BS | Graceland University | Lamoni, Iowa | Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics |
| PhD | Texas A&M University | College Station, Texas | Biochemistry |
Notable honors and service
- Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences, 2012
- CAREER Award, National Science Foundation, 2012
Research description
Research in our laboratory is primarily focused on understanding the complexities of ribosome function using a variety of biophysical methods including NMR and single molecule techniques. One of our projects is in understanding translational regulation in particular the mechanism of recoding where the ribosome shifts reading frame due to the presence of specific structures within the mRNA. Recoding has been observed in all forms of life and has been shown to be essential for the viability of many viruses including HIV-1 and SARS coronavirus. We are also contributing to the ongoing effort of developing antiviral small molecules that specifically target stimulatory elements required for recoding. Another interest in our laboratory is in determining how the complex conformational motions of the ribosome relate to its function using single molecule FRET. Mutations within the ribosome or defects in ribosomal assembly affect its function, which has been associated with many diseases. Understanding how these diseases affect ribosomal motions should lead to the development of novel treatments. In the future, we plan to extend single molecule techniques to the study of other biological system as well as develop more sophisticated methods to address them.
Selected publications
Ermolenko DN, Cornish PV, Ha T, Noller HF. Antibiotics that bind to the A site of the large ribosomal subunit can induce mRNA translocation. RNA. 2013 Feb;19(2):158-66. doi: 10.1261/rna.035964.112. Epub 2012 Dec 17.
Cornish PV, Ermolenko DE, Staple D, Hoang L, Hickerson R, Noller HF, and Ha T. (2009) Following movement of the L1 stalk between three functional states in single ribosomes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106:2571-6.
Myong S, Cui S, Cornish PV, Kirchhofer A, Gack MU, Jung JU, Hopfner KP, Ha T. (2009) Cytosolic viral sensor RIG-I is a 5’-triphosphate-dependent translocase on double-stranded RNA. Science 323:1070-4.
Giedroc DP and Cornish PV*. (2008) Frameshifting RNA pseudoknots: Structure and mechanism. Virus Research 139:193-208.
Employment opportunities
Postdoctoral opportunities
Research areas: RNA biochemistry, single molecule fluorescence, NMR, RNA folding and dynamics.
How to apply:
Electronic submission is encouraged, e-mail to cornishp@missouri.edu
Applicants should send CV and names of two references to:
Dr. Peter V. Cornish
Biochemistry
117 Schweitzer Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211