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Welcome to |
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People
Current Funding By:
Alma Holland Beers Scholarship W.C. Coker Fellowship UNC Office of Undergraduate Research SURF program Past Funding By:
Michael P. & Jean W. Carter Research Fund
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The genome
of any organism is an amazing piece of biology. It is a highly efficient and adaptive
information storage, delivery and retrieval device capable of propagating,
modifying and repairing itself. As
such, understanding how genomes function is central to a broad range of
disciplines including genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, developmental
biology, and evolution. At the
broadest level our lab is interested in understanding how the constituent
parts of a genome, chromosomes, function and the dynamic processes that
influence them. To achieve this goal we primarily
use the model flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Arabidopsis has a number of characteristics
that make it a great organism to study fundamental biological
principles. It has a small
“completely” sequenced genome with only five chromosomes. It is readily amenable to genetic,
cytological and biochemical experimental approaches and it’s near world-wide
distribution makes the use of natural variation a powerful tool. Also, here in the biology department at
UNC-CH there is a particular emphasis on the use of Arabidopsis as a model
system. My lab is primarily interested in
understanding how meiotic recombination is regulated at the genomic level in
higher eukaryotes. While significant
progress has been made in understanding many of the molecular components of
the recombination process in lower eukaryotes like the yeast S. cerevisiae,
far less is known about similar functions in complex multi-cellular
organisms. Because of the complexity
of higher eukaryotic genomes, the high level of gene duplication and
divergence, the presence of DNA modification and the organization of multiple
chromosomal domains into heterochromatin the molecules that govern meiotic
recombination in these organisms are likely to be novel and of significant
biological interest. Additionally,
their identification may have practical benefits, contributing to our
understanding of human disease genes and providing useful tools for
agricultural bioengineering. A second research area in the lab
is investigating the role of centromere DNA in chromosome biology. Centromeres are the chromosomal domains
that direct segregation during cell division by mediating a number of
critical functions including: attachment of the chromosomes to the spindle
microtubules, nucleation of kinetochore proteins, and maintenance of sister chromatid
cohesion. Arabidopsis centromeres are
some of the best characterized among higher eukaryotes. Currently the efforts in the lab are
focused on obtaining a complete definition of the DNA within the genetically
defined centromeres of Arabidopsis. |
