Philip Bevilacqua

About

Philip Bevilacqua is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn State University, where he also serves as Co-Director of the Center for RNA Molecular Biology. His research focuses on RNA folding in vivo and genome-wide, RNA regulation of gene expression, ribozyme mechanisms, and the roles RNA may have played in the emergence of life on early Earth. Bevilacqua's work involves developing methods to identify and characterize modifications to RNA structure that can alter its function and serve as potential drug targets. His contributions include advancing understanding of RNA structure probing, RNA thermometers that regulate translation, and the molecular principles underlying RNA's versatility and functionality.

Research topics

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Biophysics
• Cell biology
• Genetics
• Organic chemistry
• Molecular biology
• Chromatography
• Ecology

Selected publications

• Prebiotically-relevant low polyion multivalency can improve functionality of membraneless compartments

  Nature Communications · 2020 · 179 citations

  Multivalent polyions can undergo complex coacervation, producing membraneless compartments that accumulate ribozymes and enhance catalysis, and offering a mechanism for functional prebiotic compartmentalization in the origins of life. Here, we evaluate the impact of lower, more prebiotically-relevant, polyion multivalency on the functional performance of coacervates as compartments. Positively and negatively charged homopeptides with 1-100 residues and adenosine mono-, di-, and triphosphate nucl…

  DOI

• Phase-specific RNA accumulation and duplex thermodynamics in multiphase coacervate models for membraneless organelles

  Nature Chemistry · 2022 · 150 citations

  DOI

• RNA multimerization as an organizing force for liquid–liquid phase separation

  RNA · 2021 · 60 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  RNA interactions are exceptionally strong and highly redundant. As such, nearly any two RNAs have the potential to interact with one another over relatively short stretches, especially at high RNA concentrations. This is especially true for pairs of RNAs that do not form strong self-structure. Such phenomena can drive liquid-liquid phase separation, either solely from RNA-RNA interactions in the presence of divalent or organic cations, or in concert with proteins. RNA interactions can drive mult…

  DOI

• Tissue-specific changes in the RNA structurome mediate salinity response in <i>Arabidopsis</i>

  RNA · 2020 · 38 citations

  under salinity stress, which negatively impacts agriculture. Structure-seq utilizes dimethyl sulfate reactivity to identify As and Cs that lack base-pairing or protection. Salt stress refolded transcripts differentially in root versus shoot, evincing tissue specificity of the structurome. Both tissues exhibited an inverse correlation between salt stress-induced changes in transcript reactivity and changes in abundance, with stress-related mRNAs showing particular structural dynamism. This invers…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• CsrA-Mediated Translational Activation of <i>ymdA</i> Expression in Escherichia coli

  mBio · 2020 · 32 citations

  mRNA activates translation by destabilizing a structure that otherwise prevents ribosome binding. The extensive role of CsrA in activating gene expression suggests the common occurrence of similar activation mechanisms.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: RESEARCH-PGR: Genetic and environmentally-induced functional variation in the rice RNA structurome

  NSF · $1.8M · 2021–2026

• Mechanistic studies of proton transfer in ribozyme self-cleavage

  NSF · $356k · 2012–2017

• NIH Grant R01GM058709

  NIH · $3.0M · 2013

Frequent coauthors

• Sarah M. Assmann

  Pennsylvania State University

  42 shared

• David J. Proctor

  41 shared

• Ryszard Kierzek

  Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences

  30 shared

• Joshua M. Blose

  26 shared

• Barbara L. Golden

  Purdue University System

  23 shared

• Elżbieta Kierzek

  23 shared

• Durga M. Chadalavada

  Pennsylvania State University

  21 shared

• Narayanan Veeraraghavan

  Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego

  19 shared

Labs

• Bevilacqua LabPI

Awards & honors

• Early Career Award from Society of Biological Inorganic Chem…
• Gordon Hammes Scholar Award (2019)

Similar researchers at Pennsylvania State University

• J. Martin Bollingerh-74
• Seth Bordensteinh-64