Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

A strong community of labs in the Department of Biology that focus on various aspects of chromosome biology, including gene regulation, DNA replication, chromosome segregation, chromosome structure, the DNA damage response, and the maintenance of genome integrity. Our labs use a variety of model systems to study chromosome biology including budding yeast, plants, worms, fruit flies, mice, and human cells. Our major interests include how chromosomes are duplicated in S phase and segregated in M phase, how DNA breaks promote crossovers in meiosis, how DNA damage is repaired, the role of mutations in evolution, and how epigenetic modifications of chromatin regulate the cell cycle, gene silencing, and cancer