University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center · BiochemistryLow Complexity Domains Research Group
Steven L Mcknight · Dallas, Texas
Research Focus
Dr. Steven L. McKnight's lab focuses on understanding how certain proteins, made up of a limited number of amino acids, play crucial roles in cellular functions. These proteins, known as low complexity domains, are often disordered and involved in various cellular processes, including the formation of RNA-rich structures in cells. The lab's research aims to uncover the mechanisms by which these proteins assemble and regulate cellular activities, with implications for understanding diseases like neurodegeneration.
low complexity domainsprotein structurephase separationRNA binding proteinspost-translational modificationcellular regulationneurodegenerative diseasesamino acid complexity
Research Aims
5AIM 01Map thousands of distinct cross-cores within low complexity domains across the human proteome.
AIM 02Investigate how these cross-cores recruit other proteins to form dynamic cellular structures.
AIM 03Explore the role of phosphorylation in disassembling membraneless organelles and intermediate filaments.
AIM 04Understand the implications of human mutations in low complexity domains on neurological disorders.
AIM 05Study the thermodynamic properties of self-associating proteins in cellular environments.
Skills the Lab Values
biophysical techniquesmolecular cloningprotein purificationphase separation analysismicroscopyRNA sequencingcell cultureWestern blotbioinformaticsstructural biology
Output against the department
Publications189top 45% of dept.181st of 402
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations47ktop 5% of dept.21st of 402
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.