Steve Ealick's Research Group

Andrew Torelli

BS: Double major in Biology and Computer Science, minor in Mathematics, State University of New York (SUNY) College at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY (2003)

MS: Biophysics, University of Rochester (2005)

PhD: Biophysics & Structural Biology, University of Rochester (2008)

Dissertation:

Structural Studies of Transition-State Stabilization by a Small Catalytic RNA, Metabolite-Binding by a Regulatory RNA Sequence and the Mechanism of Action of Activation Induced Deaminase

Experience:

Spring 2002 “Modeling Competition-Colonization Tradeoff,” advisor - Dr. Gregg Hartvigsen, SUNY Geneseo, NY

Fall 2002 “Modeling the Evolution of Network Organization Within a Food Web,” advisor - Dr. Gregg Hartvigsen, SUNY Geneseo, NY

2001-2002 “Mathematical Modeling of Voltage-Gated Ion Channels,” advisor - Dr. Jacques Beaumont, Upstate Medical University, NY

Sum. 2003  “Comparative Modeling of Activation Induced Deaminase and Functional Implications for HyperIgM Syndrome Type II,” graduate rotation project advisor - Dr. Joseph Wedekind

Fall 2003 “Phylogenic Based Comparative Analysis of Domains in the Enzyme Activation Induced Deaminase that are Essential for Class Switch Recombination and Somatic Hypermutation,” graduate rotation project advisor - Dr. Harold Smith

Spring 2004 “NMR G-U Base Pairs as Constraints for RNA Structure Prediction,” graduate rotation project advisor - Dr. Douglas Turner

2004-2008  Doctoral research: “Defining Mechanisms of Action for Two Protein or RNA Enzymes that Act on Nucleic Acid Substrates,” advisor - Dr. Joseph Wedekind

Honors:

2001     Outstanding Lab Instructor Award, Dept. Biology, SUNY Geneseo
2001     Inducted as member of Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society, SUNY Geneseo
2003     Dean’s Admission Award, University of Rochester
2005     Biophysics Travel Award, Dept. Biochem. & Biophysics, University of Rochester
2006     Elon Huntington Hooker Fellowship, University of Rochester
2007     Biophysics Travel Award, Dept. Biochem. & Biophysics, University of Rochester
2007     Leon Miller Fellowship, University of Rochester
2008     William F. Neuman award, University of Rochester
2008     Best Student Seminar award, University of Rochester

Current Project:

Crystallographic studies of thiamin biosynthetic enzymes.

Publications:

Xie, K, Sowden, MP, Dance, GS, Torelli, AT, Smith, HC, and Wedekind, JE. The structure of a yeast RNA-editing deaminase provides insight into the fold and function of activation-induced deaminase and APOBEC-1. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 101:8114-9 (2004). PubMed.

Chaves, FA, Richards, KA, Torelli, A, Wedekind, J, and Sant, AJ. Peptide-binding motifs for the I-Ad MHC class II molecule: alternate pH-dependent binding behavior. Biochemistry 45:6426-33 (2006). PubMed

Ichikawa, HT, Sowden, MP, Torelli, AT, Bachl, J, Huang, P, Dance, GS, Marr, SH, Robert, J, Wedekind, JE, Smith, HC, and Bottaro, A. Structural phylogenetic analysis of activation-induced deaminase function. J. Immunol. 177:355-61 (2006). PubMed

Torelli, AT, Krucinska, J, and Wedekind, JE. A comparison of vanadate to a 2'-5' linkage at the active site of a small ribozyme suggests a role for water in transition-state stabilization. RNA 13:1052-70 (2007). PubMed Structure chosen for cover of RNA, Sept. 2008.

Torelli, AT, Spitale, RC, Krucinska, J, and Wedekind, JE. (2008) Shared traits on the reaction coordinates of ribonuclease and an RNA enzyme, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 371, 154-158. PubMed

Spitale, R. C., Torelli, A. T., Krucinska, J., Bandarian, V., and Wedekind, J. E. (2009) The structural basis for recognition of the PreQ0 metabolite by an unusually small riboswitch aptamer domain, J. Biol. Chem. 284, 11012-11016 PubMed Paper of the Week. Author Profiles Cover Structure
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