Dr. Mara Prentiss

Biography

Mara Prentiss is a scholar focused on using physics tools to elucidate significant biological problems. Her research group, the Prentiss group, investigates the basic principles governing self-assembly, particularly in complex self-assembling systems which face tradeoffs related to speed and stability of the final product. Notably, Prentiss's group has demonstrated how to overcome paradoxes in these systems, emphasizing their importance in chromosome interactions in vivo. The group has uncovered how homology-dependent interactions in double-stranded DNA lead to stable structures, and recent theoretical advancements have indicated essential features of these systems that can be captured by simple interactions of rigid rods that can rotate in three dimensions. Prentiss's work is heavily centered on RecA family proteins, which are crucial for DNA recombination and repair. By combining single molecule experiments, bulk analyses, and theoretical modeling, she has contributed detailed insight into the structure and function of homology recognition—an area that has remained largely enigmatic for thirty years despite extensive research. Moreover, the general features of these systems have led to potential improvements in gene chip technologies and provided new insights into protein folding and novel strategies for artificial self-assembly.

Research Interests