Genetics Faculty and Research

Signal transduction and antibiotic-induced stress responses in bacteria.

Transporter-mediated regulation of neuronal homeostasis.

Genetic analysis of lymphocyte activation and development.

Functional genomics of plant microRNAs and siRNAs.

Disease resistance in maize.

Post-initiation control of bacterial gene expression.

Genomic architecture of growth and reproduction.

Genetic analysis of cell signaling in leaf development.

Targeted transgenesis and transgene expression; murine stem cell differentiation/osteogenesis and autoimmunity.

RNA virus genome development.

Forest molecular genetics

Genetics, epigenetics, and genomics of X chromosome inactivation in human and mouse.

Translational control of gene expression.

Protein ubiquitination and the function of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis.

Molecular mechanism of synaptogenesis and plasticity.

Genomic instability, cell differentiation, and cancer susceptibility.

Genetic analysis of lysosomal proteolysis.

Regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis in maize.

Breeding for disease resistance and fungal pathogen-host genetic interactions.

Early changes in carcinogenesis.

Insect biochemistry and physiology; evolutionary development; molecular biology; host/pathogen interactions.

Cytology, genetics and breeding of floricultural crops.

Virus assembly processes; functions of structural proteins in retrovirus replication; retroviral CA protein structure-function analysis.

Developmental biology of malaria parasites.

Genomics, bioinformatics, and molecular evolution. Origin and diversification of flowers & developmental pathways. Comparative genomics of plants, organelles, & plant gene families. Genomics and evolution of parasitic plants.

Molecular mechanisms of mutagenesis in human cells.

Genetic and environmental influences on growth and development in human populations.

Enzymology and molecular genetics of anaerobic microbes from the Archaea domain.

Regulation and function of pulmonary surfactant protein variants; the role of surfactant proteins in the pathogenesis of pulmonary disease.

Genetics of and breeding for stress tolerance and nutritional quality in crop plants.

molecular evolutionary genetics of pathogenic and toxigenic fungi.

Genetic improvement of landscape trees, Christmas trees, and timber species; management of municipal trees; urban forestry extension education.

Transcriptional regulation of the hsp70 heat shock gene in Drosophila.

Human genetics of monogenic and complex disorders.

Chromatin structure and its regulation in hemopoiesis and leukemia.

Plant molecular and developmental biology. Starch biosynthesis. Tropical plant biotechnology. Plant-pathogen interactions. Biofuel feedstock production.

Breast cancer and its treatments.

The role of receptor tyrosine kinases in development and disease.

Developmental genetics of organogenesis and morphogenesis in C. elegans.

Functional genomics of non-coding DNA; regulation of mammalian hemoglobin genes.

Genetic basis for bacterium-host interactions.

Understanding how paramyxoviruses (SV5) induce and inhibit apoptosis. Using SV5 as a vector for expressing foreign genes and for live vaccine development.

Evolutionary genomics.

The role of genotoxic carcinogens in the genetic selection occurring during the development of lung cancer.

Replication and pathogenesis of hepatitis viruses.

Molecular genetics and genomics of plant-pathogen interactions.

Mechanisms of action of volatile anesthetics.

Temporal and spatial regulation of protein expression in bacterial development.

Hepatitis C and related viruses: how their replication interferes with host protein and membrane trafficking.

Signal Transduction, Growth Control, and Cancer Genetics

Pharmacogenetics and cancer, carcinogenic pathways, DNA repair, translational regulation.

Genetics of schizophrenia; genetics of Na,K-ATPase.

Biogenesis and function of cilia in mammalian embryonic development.

Survival and death regulation of neurons and brain tumor cells.

Genetic analysis of inhibitory synapses in the mammalian brain.

Plant responses to the environment.

Flower development and its evolution; meiosis and pollen development.

Comparative genomics, molecular evolution, bioinformatics, biology of transposable elements.

Evolutionary genomics, bioinformatics, human genetics, molecular evolution, population genetics.

Genetic influence on individual differences in phenotypes related to health and development.

Endogenous growth factors and heart development.

Population genetics of invasive species.

Plant developmental genetics and signal transduction.

Regulation of gene expression during mouse and Drosophila embryogenesis.

Cancer Research, Lung cancer and development, Cancer genomics, Molecular study of oncogene mechanism, Oncogenic signaling, Functional screens for novel cancer genes, Developing function-based tools to rapidly evaluate multiple candidate cancer genes.

Cloning and functional analysis of TGF-beta signaling components.

Prevention of cancer, which is based on understanding the interrelationship between environmental carcinogens, genetic susceptibility, drug exposure, and human behavior.

Molecular and genomic evolution.

Evolution of overlapping reading frames in eukaryotic genomes.

Quality control of secretory protein biogenesis.

Signal transduction in prokaryotes; functional domains of Rhizobium dct genes.

Molecular genetics of xenobiotic metabolism.

Cellular mechanisms of synaptic transmission in Drosophila.

Molecular mechanisms of virus replication.

Genetic and biochemical analysis of hematopoiesis.

Polyamine metabolism; DNA repair.

Mechanisms of receptor-mediated carcinogenesis.

Roles of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in the regulation of homeostasis, toxicology, and carcinogenesis.

Regulation of prostaglandin and leukotriene biosynthesis.

Molecular and genetic analysis of UV resistance pathways in eukaryotes.

Analysis of craniofacial phenotypes.

Genetic regulation of melanoma development.

Subcellular compartmentalization of neurons.

Evolution and population genetics of edible mushrooms and their pathogens.

Mechanisms of Epstein-Barr virus persistence and tumorigenesis.

Molecular population genetics and genomics.

Amphipath transporters in health and disease.

Assembly and budding of paramyxovirus particles.

Genome evolution in host-adapted bacteria.

Regulation of protein synthesis in Ras transformation.

Molecular ecology; Structure, demographics and evolution of large mammal populations; Ancient DNA.

Developmental and evolutionary aspects of regulation of patterning genes.

Molecular mechanisms underlying the causes of diabetes and obesity

Human population genomics and complex disease mapping.

Regulation of viral gene expression.

Role of the cortical actin cytoskeleton in cell polarity and morphogenesis.

Gene regulation, structure and function of glutathione S-transferase systems.

Complex genetics of drug addiction.

Molecular genetic analysis of signal transduction in cancer.

Quantitative genetics of complex traits.

Investigation of neurotransmitter biosynthesis, human embryonic stem cells, and drug abuse.

Epigenetic histone modifications in cell differentiation and cancer.

The evolution of complex traits.

Molecular biology and genetics of virus assembly and budding.

Molecular mechanisms underlying development of tissue specific gamma/delta T cells.

Growth factors and receptors.

Signal transduction in mammal development and pathogenesis.

Molecular mechanisms of cellular immortalization and cancers.