Structural Studies of proteins involved in ribosome biogenesis

Career overview

Dr. Atlanta G. Cook is a Wellcome Senior Research Fellow at the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology in Edinburgh, a position held since 2016. Prior to this, Dr. Cook was an MRC Career Development Fellow at the same centre from 2011 to 2016. Dr. Cook's postdoctoral experience includes a role as a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany, from 2007 to 2010, and at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, from 2004 to 2007. Dr. Cook obtained a DPhil in Biochemistry from Oxford University, where studies were conducted from 1999 to 2003, following an MBiochemistry degree at the same institution from 1995 to 1999.

Research interests

Dr. Cook's research focuses on the control of gene expression at the levels of mRNA transcription and post-transcriptional processes, including splicing, localization, modification, editing, and degradation. They aim to gain a mechanistic understanding of these processes by investigating the interactions between protein and nucleic acid components at the molecular level. Dr. Cook employs structural approaches to address mechanistic questions regarding how protein-RNA interactions influence RNA maturation and editing, as well as the recruitment of transcriptional repressors to methylated DNA. By integrating structural studies with biochemical, biophysical, and cell-based functional assays, they provide valuable insights into these molecular processes.