Cell Size Control

Our central question is to determine how and why cell growth triggers cell division. We have recently shown how inhibitors of cell division can be diluted by cell growth to trigger entry to the cell division cycle. However, these are not the only mechanisms used by cells and we search for more. Moreover, we aim to understand the physiological role of cell size, which is poorly understood in most contexts.

Systems Biology

Understanding the principles underlying genetic control circuits is a central aim of biological research.  These principles, when found, should provide a unifying framework for understanding disparate natural systems and aid in the design of robust synthetic circuits for medical and engineering purposes. The response of single cell organisms to their environment provides an important context to study these questions.

Our Projects

We are currently mainly interested in understanding cell size control (in budding yeast, human cells, mice, and frogs). We also study the biochemistry of cyclin-dependent kinase regulation at the core of the size-dependent G1/S control with an eye towards developing new molecular medicines. Our analysis of diverse organisms allow us to identify the conservation of systems level features of cell cycle control common to eukaryotes.

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