 R. Dutnall |
Section of Molecular Biology
Focusing on studies of mammalian cells and microbial organisms at the genetic and biochemical levels, the Section of Molecular Biology serves as the core of the division, providing the basic scientific knowledge applicable to all areas of biology. Current and future planned research areas center on some of the underlying mechanisms that mediate biological processes such as gene regulation, and cell growth-differentiation, development, and death, especially as they relate to oncogenesis, immunity, and virus-host interactions. Research areas also include transcriptional regulation, DNA replication, RNA splicing and metabolism, DNA repair, DNA recombination, chromatin structure-signal transduction, biochemical mechanisms underlying the function, assembly and disassembly of subcellular organelles, protein structure, and enzyme function. Application of this knowledge to higher organisms is achieved using different model organisms and especially through the production of genetically altered mice, allowing for the investigation of physiological dysfunction associated with human diseases.
