Microbial Growth & Development

BIOGRAPHY

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Cell biology and genetics in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ideal organism for the combined genetic and biochemical analysis of fundamental cell processes universal to eukaryotic cells. The major goals of our research are the dissection of the mechanisms of cell and nuclear fusion during mating and the pathway of spindle pole body duplication. During mating, yeast cells respond to gradients of mating pheromone by growing toward one another in a polarized fashion. After adhering together, they remove their cell walls in the region of close contact and fuse their plasma membranes to produce a single cell. As cell fusion progresses, the two nuclei become connected by microtubules emanating from the organizing centers (spindle pole bodies). The nuclei then move together in a microtubule-motor-driven process. Subsequently, nuclear envelopes fuse in the vicinity of the spindle pole bodies, producing a single diploid nucleus. Accordingly, cell and nuclear fusion serve as powerful indicators of a variety of basic cell biological processes, including cell polarization, membrane fusion, nuclear movement, and microtubule organization. Using novel genetic screens, we have identified several genes required for cell and nuclear fusion. Using modern molecular genetic techniques, we are identifying and characterizing the proteins and their biological functions. A detailed analysis of the pathway of cell and nuclear fusion will be important for the understanding of a broad set of phenomena common to all eukaryotic cells. Descriptions of representative genes follow.


EDUCATION:
1972-1976 Bs., Genetics, Cornell University , Ithaca , NY Undergraduate research advisor: Dr. J. Roberts. Dept. of Biochemistry
1976-1982 Ph.D., M. I. T., Dept of Biology, Cambridge , MA Advisor: Dr. D. Botstein, Thesis Topic: lacZ Gene Fusion: An Assay for Gene Expression in Yeast
1982-1985 Post-doctoral Fellow, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge , MA Advisor: Dr. G. R. Fink, Research Topic: Mechanism of Yeast Nuclear Fusion


AWARDS:
1982-1985 Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Cancer Research Fellowship
1987-1992 Presidential Young Investigator Award
1987-1992 James D. McDonnell Foundation Award