Blind, Raymond, Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry and Pharmacology

Raymond D. Blind, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry and Pharmacology
ray.blind@vanderbilt.edu

The Blind Lab explores second messenger signaling in the nucleus. Specifically, we seek discovery in the structure, function and signaling properties of nuclear inositide lipids and soluble inositol phosphates, asking how these molecules directly participate in controlling gene expression. We use genomics, structural biology and chemical genetics to query how nuclear second messengers operate. We then attempt to apply that information to develop drug discovery platforms, with potential to treat cancers and metabolic diseases.

Nuclear lipid signaling is particularly interesting to us because the nucleus contains unique pools of lipids that do not exist in any known membrane structure, but are instead complexed with soluble proteins. We discovered certain pools of nuclear inositides can be directly remodeled by lipid signaling enzymes, with remarkable kinetic properties, providing a new framework to explain how nuclear lipid signaling works.

Current research in our group is 1. determining what role phosphorylated inositols, phosphoinositide lipids and their signaling enzymes play in chromatin biology, 2. determining how nuclear phosphoinositide complexes are structured, 3. identifying rapid nuclear signaling events using chemical genetics, 4. understanding how nuclear receptors acquire phospholipid ligands from membranes.

For more information, please visit the lab website.