Dr. Batey's research focuses on the structure-function relationships of RNA. The model system that his research group utilizes is the riboswitch, an element found in messenger RNAs that can specifically bind a small molecule to direct gene expression in a cis-fashion. To understand how these genetic regulatory elements work, several aspects of their function are studied using x-ray crystallography to develop three-dimensional models of these RNAs and their complexes with small molecules and a set of biophysical, biochemical and molecular biological and genetic tools to relate ligand binding to gene regulation. A second area of research is understanding the structural and functional relationship to the transcriptome. This work focuses upon the transcription factors Sox2 and its ability to interact with dsRNA. Our current research is focused on two key questions: (1) how does RNA binding govern Sox2's biological activity and (2) do other related proteins have RNA-mediated activities.
