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Camila Forsberg's research group focuses on stem cell fate decisions that give rise to variant blood cell types. Are such decisions made by the stem cell itself, by its descendant multipotent progenitors, or both? To answer such questions, Forsberg's group conducts molecular lineage tracing of HSC differentiation in vivo. In order to elucidate the mechanisms of fate decisions, they employ global analyses, such as genome-wide gene expression analysis and chromatin remodeling assays. The ultimate goal of this research is to facilitate our ability to direct specific fates and improve clinical applications of hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic stem cell therapy. [More]

Karen Ottemann's laboratory investigates how bacteria translate chemical and physical cues in their host environment into adaptive responses. Mistakes in sensation and subsequent gene expression by bacteria may result in their elimination by the host immune response or peristaltic flow. Elucidation of such processes will hopefully lead to identification of anti-bacterial drug targets. Ottemann is particularly interested in the role of chemoreceptors and chemotaxis associated with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. This pathogen infects some 3 billion humans and can lead to serious disease, including ulcers and cancer. Ottemann and her colleagues have discovered two of the first chemoreceptors known to aid in the process of bacterial colonization. [More]

Fitnat Yildiz's laboratory investigates signaling and regulatory networks of Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the Asiatic cholera. She and her colleagues are particularly interested in those mechanisms that allow the pathogen to adapt to changes in its habitat. The bacteria's ability to survive in different growth modes in aquatic environments is closely linked to seasonal epidemics of cholera. Yildiz's laboratory is attempting to identify and characterize genes and processes associated with phase variations of the pathogen. Their results will be useful for prediction and control of epidemics of this devastating disease. [More]

One third of the genes in all organisms encode membrane proteins, most of which transport molecules from one compartment to another. We use Neurospora crassa as our model organism.  The complete genome has been sequenced for this filamentous fungus. It has 10,000 genes, twice the number in yeast, and a complete collection of knockout mutants is being generated. [More]

The Kellogg laboratory investigates fundamental molecular mechanisms that coordinate cell growth and cell division. Analysis of such mechanisms can lead to the identification of new targets for anti-cancer drugs. [More]

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a large protein structure embedded in the double-membrane of a cell's nucleus. This porin structure regulates all transport between the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm of the cell. Research in the Rexach lab focuses on fundamental aspects of nucleocytoplasmic transport and on the architecture of the nuclear pore complex. [More]

Bill Saxton's group studies mechanisms that drive intracellular transport and cytoplasmic organization, using Drosophila as a model system. One current area of interest is axonal organelle transport in the intact nervous system, which is critical for neuron development, neuron function, and a contibutor to human neurodegenerative diseases. They also study transport in Drosophila oocytes, which ensures both specific body-axis determinant RNA localization and bulk cytoplasmic mixing for proper embryonic development. Since the molecular motor proteins and filament tracks for these processes are the same, but the processes are quite different, the parallel studies provide a good context for discoveries about the biophysics, biochemistry and evolution of motion. [More]

The currently booming field of "epigenetics" includes investigations of how chromatin-level regulation controls gene expression and development.  The Strome lab uses the nematode C. elegans to investigate the roles of covalent histone modifications in specifying the ON and OFF states of genes, and in guiding cells to adopt correct fates and undergo correct developmental programs. [More]

The Sullivan lab uses the Drosophila embryo as a model system to investigate the mechanisms that drive furrow invagination during cytokinesis. Through a combination of cellular and molecular genetic approaches we find that furrow formation requires coordinated cell cycle regulated and endocytic-based vesicle recruitment. These studies have also identified a new role for cell cycle checkpoints in coordinating the nuclear cycle with cytokinesis. More recently, the lab has applied these approaches toward understanding the mechanisms by which the widespread intracellular insect pathogen, Wolbachia, influences host nuclear and cytoplasmic cell cycles [More]

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of self-tolerance is key to development of strategies for treatment both of autoimmune disease and cancer and for prevention of organ transplant rejection. Martha Zúñiga's laboratory examines interactions between T lymphocytes and major histocompatibility complex antigens in immune responses. They also investigate how viral proteins might be used to enhance the immune system to protect the body from lethal cancer cells. [More]