University of California-Los Angeles · Microbiology & ImmunologyThe Splicing Nexus
Douglas L Black · Los Angeles, California
Research Focus
Dr. Douglas L. Black's lab at UCLA focuses on understanding how RNA binding proteins regulate gene expression, particularly through alternative splicing. Their research not only explores the intricate interactions between proteins and RNA but also aims to uncover the mechanisms that lead to misregulation in diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer. By mapping binding sites of key proteins involved in splicing, they hope to enhance the ability to predict pathogenic mutations affecting gene regulation.
RNA binding proteinsalternative splicinggene regulationsplicing complexesneurodegenerationRNA metabolismallelic variationchromatin interactionscry-electron microscopy
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how RNA binding proteins control alternative splicing in mammalian cells.
AIM 02Map the interactions of splicing regulators with nascent RNA using innovative sequencing techniques.
AIM 03Characterize the structures of spliceosomal complexes to understand their roles in gene expression regulation.
AIM 04Explore the functions of long noncoding RNAs like MALAT1 in neuronal contexts.
AIM 05Study the self-assembly of splicing regulator complexes and their implications for diseases such as ALS.
Skills the Lab Values
RNA isolationcryogenic electron microscopychromatin extractionimmunoprecipitation sequencing (IP-seq)protein complex characterizationcell culture techniquesquantitative PCRwestern blottingbioinformatics analysis of splicing data
Output against the department
Publications146top 45% of dept.218th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations19ktop 20% of dept.96th of 486
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.