|
|
How
Stem Cell Fate Is Decided
Camilla Forsberg, Dept. of Biomolecular Engineering
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]
|
Genome
Bioinformatics: Comparative Sequence Analysis of Mammalian Genomes
David Haussler, Dept. of Biomolecular Engineering
Dr. Haussler's research lies at the interface of mathematics,
computer science, and molecular biology. He has focused on computational analysis
and classification of DNA, RNA, and protein sequences. As a collaborator on
the public Human Genome Project, his team posted the first publicly available
computational assembly of the human genome sequence on the Internet, and it
now maintains UCSC's Genome Browser, which is used extensively in biomedical
research. [More]
|
Computational
Functional Genomics
Josh Stuart, Dept. of Biomolecular Engineering
Josh Stuart's research group develops computational
approaches for predicting gene function and discovering how gene activity is
regulated and modulated in response to cellular events and processes. Their
methods combine genome-wide functional data across multiple organisms to identify
conserved genetic mechanisms. The group has three broad aims: 1) to develop
computational models to predict gene function, 2) to integrate datasets across
multiple organisms to identify core molecular pathways, and 3) to develop algorithms
and resources for biological discovery. Stuart also collaborates with numerous
colleagues at UCSC and elsewhere to predict molecular targets of drugs, causal
networks in disease, and pathways involved in stem cell differentiation. [More]
|
Mammalian
Brain Development
Bin Chen , Dept. MCD Biology
Proper generation of different neuronal
subtypes in the cerebral cortex and their precise wiring into functional neural
circuits underlie our most sophisticated cognitive and perceptual abilities.
When this process goes awry, neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia,
depression, and obsessive compulsive behavior, can arise. Research in the Chen
laboratory is focused on the molecular mechanisms that regulate the neural stem
cells to generate different types of neurons and determining how they are wired
into functional neural circuits. Neurons in the cerebral cortex are organized
into 6 layers. Within each layer, neurons ..... [More]
|
Stem
Cells and Self Renewal
Lindsay Hinck , Dept. MCD Biology
The mammary gland is remarkable in its capacity to self
renew since every pregnancy results in prodigious cell growth to prepare for
milk production. Stem cells required to maintain this process reside in specialized
environments (niches) squeezed between the luminal and myoepithelial cells layers.
We are exploring how loss of Slits and Netrins disrupt these niches, and the
biological consequences of this disruption. [More]
|
Origin
and Regulation of Mammalian Stem Cells
Amy Ralston, Dept. MCD Biology
Understanding the origins of
stem cells in the embryo is essential for understanding how to guide formation
of stem cell-derived tissues. Several stem cell-producing tissues exist in the
early mouse embryo, which provides an ideal system for exploring mechanisms
that guide stem cell development. In addition, stem cells can be artificially
created by genetic reprogramming mature cells. We are interested in understanding
how natural and reprogrammed stem cells compare. We use a variety of techniques,
including mouse transgenics, bioinformatics, molecular biology, and confocal
microscopy to examine the establishment and use of stem cells during normal
development. From these studies, we hope to understand the molecular basis of
cell fate and plasticity, as they relate to normal development and regenerative
medicine. [More]
|
Regulation
of Germ Cell Development in C. elegans
Susan Strome, MCD Biology
Germ cells (the cells that give rise
to eggs and sperm) have special properties. Their immortality allows them
to be perpetuated from generation to generation, and their totipotency allows
them to generate all of the diverse cell types of the body in each generation. The
Strome lab investigates the molecular mechanisms used by germ cells to establish
and maintain their identity, immortality, and totipotency. They study
germ cells in the model organism C. elegans using
a wide variety of approaches, including forward genetics, RNAi, imaging, molecular
biology, biochemistry, and whole genome microarray-based technologies. Their
current focus areas are control of gene expression in germ cells by regulation
of chromatin, and control of RNA metabolism by germline-specific cytoplasmic "P
granules". [More]
|
Regulation
of Chromatin Structure and Gene Expression
John Tamkun, Dept. of MCD Biology
The Tamkun lab investigates regulation of chromatin's
high order structure and its role in gene expression. Composed of DNA and proteins,
chromatin's ability to fold enables the eukaryotic genome to be packaged into
an extremely small space inside the nucleus of the cell. Proper transcription
and replication of the genome also depend upon precise regulation of these dynamic
structures, with defects in these processes believed to underly many human diseases.
[More]
|
Use
of Random Mutagenesis for Studies of Evolution and for Therapy
Manel Camps, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology
The Camps laboratory uses molecular genetic and computational
approaches to study the biological consequences of random changes in genetic
information (mutations) that occur spontaneously or as a result
of environmental insults. They couple the generation of random mutant libraries
with specific selections or screens to study the functional impact of
point mutations and to establish how genes evolve in response to selective pressure.
This work is relevant for the identification of risk factors of disease, for
understanding the origins of drug resistance, and for engineering biological
activities. The Camps laboratory also use induction of random genetic alterations
(mutagenesis) as an indicator of DNA damage for high-throughput analysis of
chemical libraries. Through this approach, the Camps laboratory aims at exploiting
the particular susceptibility of rapidly replicating cells to DNA damage for
therapeutic purposes with the hopes of identifying candidates that complement
or enhance existing anti-tumor therapies. [More]
|
|