Dr. Kiong Ho

Assistant Professor
Cooke 653
phone: (716) 645-4964
e-mail: kiongho@buffalo.edu
Further research and course info

Research Summary

Parasitic protozoa are causative agents of widespread human diseases, including malaria (caused by Plasmodium falciparum), African sleeping sickness (Trypanosome brucei), and Chagas' disease (Trypanosome cruzi). Because these parasites diverged early from the main branch of the eukaryotic lineage, their unusual mechanisms of gene expression reflect ancient eukaryotic functions that have been preserved to present. By studying the process of gene expression, not only may we learn about the evolution of higher eukaryotes, but we can also identify parasite specific processes that can be exploited as targets for novel therapeutic intervention.

Selected Publications

• Torchea C, Takagi Y and Ho CK. (2008) Archaea RNA ligase is a homodimeric protein that catalyzes intramolecular ligation of single-stranded RNA and DNA. Nucleic Acid Res. (in press)

• Takagi Y, Sindkar S, Ekonomidis D, Hall MP and Ho CK. (2007) Trypanosoma brucei encodes a bifunctional capping enzyme essential for cap 4 formation on the spliced leader RNA. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 15995-16005. [Abstract]

• Dong H, Ray D, Ren S, Zhang B, Puig-Basagoiti F, Takagi Y, Ho CK, Li H, and Shi PY. (2007) Distinct RNA elements confer specificity to flavivirus RNA cap methylation events. J. Virol. 81: 4412-4421. [Abstract]

• Hall MP and Ho CK. (2006) Functional Characterization of a 48-kDa Trypanosoma brucei Cap 2 RNA Methyltransferase. Nucleic Acid Res. 34: 5594 - 5602. [Abstract]

• Hall MP and Ho CK. (2006) Characterization of a Trypanosoma brucei mRNA Cap (Guanine N-7) Methyltransferase. RNA 12: 488 -497. [Abstract]

• Pfeffer S, Sewer A, Lagos-Quintana M, Sheridan R, Sander C, Grässer FA, van Dyk LF, Shuman S, Ho CK, Chien M, Russo JJ, Ju J, Randall G, Lindenbach BD, Rice CM, Simon V, Ho DD, Zavolan M, and Tuschl T. (2005) Identification of the MicroRNAs of the Herpesvirus Family. Nature Method 2: 269-276. [Abstract]