Genetics
Walter Gilbert
Elena Casey
Developmental genetics of Xenopus laevis
The goal of the Casey lab is to understand the transcriptional regulation of a class of genes involved in the formation of the early vertebrate body plan. Patterning events such as the establishment of neural tissues require a series of signal transduction events that lead to the transcription of a set of genes. Few of the details of transcriptional regulation in vertebrate development have been deciphered. However, the ability to generate transgenic frogs has revolutionized the field, allowing rapid analysis of promoter function in a large number of embryos. This technique, along with embryology, traditional biochemical and molecular assays, and expression screens now enable us to define the factors required for regulation of genes involved in early vertebrate development.
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RESEARCH NEWS FEATURE: ELENA CASEY
Chris Elsik
Genome analysis and annotation
My research includes three areas of focus in bioinformatics/computational biology, all of which are loosely tied by the underlying theme of molecular evolution. The first area is genome/gene sequence analysis and annotation, which involves applying concepts of molecular evolution to infer function, as well as using bioinformatics approaches to understand genome evolution. The second area is the development of databases that allow others to benefit from our work in genome analysis and annotation. We are developing genome databases for honey bee (BeeBase.org) and cattle (BovineGenome.org).The third area is developing algorithms for better classifying proteins; these algorithms will serve as tools for molecular evolution and annotation.
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RESEARCH NEWS FEATURE: CHRIS ELSIK
Matthew Hamilton
Population genetics
I am deeply intrigued by the processes that influence the distribution of genetic variation within species. My empirical projects focus on either marine fish populations or plant populations. Research in my laboratory focuses on fundamental questions in evolutionary biology, population genetics and conservation genetics. I am interested in gene flow and population structure, the interplay of effective population size and natural selection, and inferring population demographic histories from genetic data. I frequently use simulation modeling to develop expectations for the behavior of genetic systems under idealized evolutionary processes. My lab also employs molecular genetic methods such as microsatellite genotyping and DNA sequencing to estimate key population genetic parameters such as effective population size, degree of population structure and rates of gene flow.
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RESEARCH NEWS FOCUS: MATT HAMILTON
Ronda Rolfes
Yeast genetics
Research in my laboratory is focused on elucidating the mechanisms that yeast cells use to sense external conditions - such as nutrient abundance and host status - and how these cells alter gene expression in response to these conditions. We are studying expression of the enzymes that comprise the purine nucleotide biosynthetic pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In Candida albicans, we are investigating how filamentation is controlled at the genetic level.
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RESEARCH NEWS FEATURE: RONDA ROLFES
Gina Wimp
Community Genetics
My research seeks to discover general rules that govern arthropod community structure that may serve as tools for conservation. I have found that plant genetics plays a critical role in shaping arthropod community structure, but the extent to which plant genetics affects higher-level trophic interactions remains a topic of debate which I am pursuing. My research also focuses on the role of anthropogenic disturbance and habitat fragmentation on arthropod community structure in inter-tidal marshes. I am using stable isotope analysis to understand how arthropod species losses in the inter-tidal marsh may affect nutrient cycling in these critical ecosystems that act as buffers to adjacent estuaries. Arthropod conservation has not received the same consideration as vertebrate species conservation, yet arthropods represent over half of the described species on the planet and their losses could have cascading effects throughout diverse ecosystems.
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RESEARCH NEWS FEATURE OF GINA WIMP
