Mark Ditzler

Email: Mark.A.Ditzler@nasa.gov

Phone: (650)604-1058

Professional Biography

2012 to Present: Research Scientist, Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 2009 to 2012: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

Education

2009 – Ph.D. Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2003 – B.S. Biophysics, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

Research Interests

The origin and early evolution of life with an emphasis on RNA world theories. Non-coding RNAs as tools in artificial gene regulation and synthetic biology.

Selected Publications

Ditzler, M. A., Rios, A. C., Nuevo, M., Popovic, M., Mancinelli, R., Broddrick, J. T., Rothschild, L.D., Weber, A. L. (2021). Beyond targeted searches: the need for system-level approaches to understanding the connection between astrochemistry and the emergence of life. Bulletin of the AAS, 53(4). 269. doi: 10.3847/25c2cfeb.7a06f84d

Popović, M., Ellingson, A. Q., Chu, T. P., Wei, C., Pohorille, A., & Ditzler, M. A. (2021). In vitro selections with RNAs of variable length converge on a robust catalytic core. Nucleic Acids Res. 49 (2), 674-683.  doi: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1238

Reyes, S.G., Kuruma, Y., Fujimi, M., Yamazaki, M., Eto, S., Nishikawa, S., Tamaki, S., Kobayashi, A., Mizuuchi, R., Rothschild, L., Ditzler, M. A., & Fujishima, K. (2021) PURE mRNA display and cDNA display provide rapid detection of core epitope motif via high-throughput sequencing. Biotechnol Bioeng. 2021; 118: 1702– 1715.  doi: 10.1002/bit.27696

Plebanek, A., Larnerd, C., Popović, M., Wei, C., Pohorille, A., Ditzler, M. A. (2019). Big on Change, Small on Innovation: Evolutionary Consequences of RNA Sequence Duplication. Journal of molecular evolution, 87(7-8), 240-253. 10.1007/s00239-019-09906-3

Rose, K.M., Alves Ferreira-Bravo, I., Li, M., Craigie, R., Ditzler, M.A., Holliger, P., DeStefano, J.J. (2019). Selection of 2′-Deoxy-2′-Fluoroarabino Nucleic Acid (FANA) Aptamers that Bind HIV-1 Integrase with Picomolar Affinity. ACS Chemical Biology. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00237

Stephenson, J.D., Popović, M., Bristow, T.F., Ditzler, M.A. (2016). Evolution of ribozymes in the presence of a mineral surface. RNA 22: 1893-1901. doi: 10.1261/rna.057703.116

Popović, M., Fliss, P.S., Ditzler, M.A. (2015). In vitro evolution of distinct self-cleaving ribozymes in diverse environments. Nucleic Acids Res. 43 (14): 7070-7082. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkv648

Ditzler, M.A., Lange, M.J., Bose, D., Bottoms, C.A., Virkler, K.F., Sawyer, A.W., Whatley, A.S., Spollen, W., Givan, S.A., Burke, D.H. (2013). High-throughput sequence analysis reveals structural diversity and improved potency among RNA inhibitors of HIV reverse transcriptase. Nucleic Acids Res. 41(3):1873-84. doi: 10.1093/nar/gks1190.

Whatley, A.S., Ditzler, M.A., Lange, M.J., Biondi, E., Sawyer, A.W., Chang, J.L., Franken, J.D., Burke, D.H. (2013). Potent Inhibition of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase and Replication by Nonpseudoknot, “UCAA-motif” RNA Aptamers. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 5;2:e71. doi: 10.1038/mtna.2012.62.

Ditzler, M.A., Bose, D., Shkriabai, N., Marchand, B., Sarafianos, S.G., Kvaratskhelia, M., Burke, D.H. (2011). Broad-spectrum aptamer inhibitors of HIV reverse transcriptase closely mimic natural substrates. Nucleic Acids Res. 39(18):8237-47. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkr381.

Abelson, J., Blanco, M., Ditzler, M.A., Fuller, F., Aravamudhan, P., Wood, M., Villa, T., Ryan, D.E., Pleiss, J.A., Maeder, C., Guthrie, C., Walter, N.G. (2010). Conformational dynamics of single pre-mRNA molecules during in vitro splicing. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 17(4):504-12. doi: 10.1038/nsmb.1767.

Ditzler, M.A., Otyepka, M., Sponer, J., Walter, N.G. (2010). Molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics of RNA: conformational and chemical change we can believe in. Acc Chem Res. 43(1):40-7. doi: 10.1021/ar900093g.

Ditzler, M.A., Sponer, J., Walter, N.G. (2009). Molecular dynamics suggest multifunctionality of an adenine imino group in acid-base catalysis of the hairpin ribozyme. RNA. 15(4):560-75. doi: 10.1261/rna.1416709.

Ditzler, M.A., Rueda, D., Mo, J., Håkansson, K., Walter, N.G. (2008). A rugged free energy landscape separates multiple functional RNA folds throughout denaturation. Nucleic Acids Res. 36(22):7088-99. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkn871.

Ditzler, M.A., Alemán, E.A., Rueda, D., Walter, N.G. (2007) Focus on function: single-molecule RNA enzymology. Biopolymers 87(5-6):302-16. doi: 10.1002/bip.20819.