Michael R. Lawson

Ligand-induced and small molecule control of substrate loading in a hexameric helicase

This study investigates how bicyclomycin and nucleic acids modulate Rho's ring conformation, showing bicyclomycin inhibits ring closure while nucleic acids promote it, revealing mechanisms of substrate-dependent activity control.

Molecular mechanisms of substrate-controlled ring dynamics and sub-stepping in a nucleic-acid dependent hexameric motor

This study uses structural methods to analyze how Rho helicase uses ATP hydrolysis and RNA binding to drive conformational changes and substrate movement.