 |
|
|
|
 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
Professor 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 ..... [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]
|
|
