Research

We primarily use Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system to understand the functions of evolutionarily conserved DPPIV (Di Peptidyl Peptidase IV) proteases. We aim to decipher the catalytic activity-dependent functions by identifying their substrate repertoire and understanding their role in, but not limited to, the silencing of repetitive DNA sequences and “selfish” genetic elements such as transposons and the maintenance of the genome. We wish to understand their catalytic activity-independent functions by characterizing the complexes comprised of these proteases.
We use advanced proteomics, Next Generation Sequencing, genome editing (CRISPR/Cas9) along with standard molecular biology and biochemistry approaches to address the above questions.

Current group members