Christian Tschudi, Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Studies,
Associate Professor,
Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases
Office: Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine (BCMM) 136C
Laboratory: BCMM 137
Professor Tschudi’s studies focus on the biology of trypanosomes the causative agents of devastating diseases in Africa and South America. Most projects in the laboratory utilize bioinformatics and modern genetic techniques to identify and dissect parasite-specific functions. The laboratory has developed several methodologies for creating mutants and has been instrumental in establishing a number of techniques to study processes at the biochemical level. These approaches will lead to a better understanding of the infectious cycle of the parasite, which involves a mammalian as well as an insect host. The long term goal is to identify candidate molecules that can be targets for chemotherapy. Professor Tschudi is also interested in understanding gene silencing by RNA interference in African trypanosomes with the objective to uncover its biological function.
Education
Ph.D., University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, 1982
A.B., University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, 1978
Awards and Honors
Burroughs Wellcome Fund New Investigator Award in Molecular Parasitology, 2000-2003
Research Project Award in Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, MacArthur Foundation, 1984-1989
James Hudson Brown-Alexander B. Coxe Fellowship, 1982-1983
European Molecular Biology Laboratory Pre-doctoral Fellowship, 1981-1982
Swiss National Science Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship
Professional Services
Ad hoc Member, National Institutes of Health (NIH) study section for Pathogenic Eukaryotes, 2004
Co-Director, Biology of Parasitism Course, Marine Biological Laboratory, 1998-2002
Member, NIH study section for Tropical Disease Research Units (TDRU), 1998
Courses Taught
EMD/MCDB/MBIO 642a Roles of Microorganisms in the Living World
EMD/MBIO 680a Advanced Topics in Molecular Parasitology
EMD 684b Parasitic Eukaryotes: Molecular and Cellular Processes
Current Research Projects
Understanding the Mechanism of RNA Capping in Trypanosomes; Characterization of Molecular Mechanisms Involved in RNA Metabolism with Special Emphasis on RNA Interference and the Role of Small RNAs in Trypanosome Biology, a collaboration with Professor Elisabetta Ullu at Yale University; Developmental Biology of African Trypanosomes in its Invertebrate Host, a collaborative effort with Professor Serap Aksoy in the Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases; Characterization of Enzymes Involved in RNA Modification, a collaboration with Professor Shulamit Michaeli at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Yale Affiliation
BBS Microbiology Program
Selected Publications
Arhin, G.K., Li, H., Ullu, E., and Tschudi, C. A Protein Related to the Vaccinia Virus Cap-specific Methyltransferase VP39 is Involved in Cap 4 Modification in Trypanosoma brucei. RNA 12: 53-62, 2006.
Shi, H., Tschudi, C., and Ullu, E. Functional Replacement of Trypanosoma brucei Argonaute by the Human Slicer Argonaute2. RNA 12: 943-947, 2006.
Li, H. and Tschudi, C. Novel and Essential Subunits in the 300-Kilodalton Nuclear Cap Binding Complex of Trypanosoma brucei. Molecular and Cellular Biology 25: 2216-2226, 2005.
Ullu, E., Lujan, H.D., and Tschudi, C. Small Sense and Antisense RNAs Derived from a Telomeric Retroposon Family in Giardia intestinalis. Eukaryotic Cell 4: 1155-1157, 2005.
Shi, H., Djikeng, A., Tschudi, C., and Ullu, E. Argonaute Protein in the Early Divergent Eukaryote Trypanosoma brucei: Control of Small Interfering RNA Accumulation and Retroposon Transcript Abundance. Molecular and Cellular Biology 24: 420-427, 2004.
Ruan, J., Arhin, G.K., Ullu, E., and Tschudi, C. Functional Characterization of a Trypanosoma brucei TATA-binding Protein-related Factor Points to a Universal Regulator of Transcription in Trypanosomes. Molecular and Cellular Biology 24: 9610-9618, 2004.
Narasimhan, S., Montgomery, R.R., DePonte, K., Tschudi, C., Marcantonio, N., Anderson, J.F., Sauer, J.R., Cappello, M., Kantor, F.S., and Fikrig, E. Disruption of Ixodes scapularis Anticoagulation by Using RNA Interference. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 101: 1141-1146, 2004.
For a further list of Dr. Tschudi’s publications, please see PubMed.
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