My lab studies the cellular and molecular basis of synaptic transmission and plasticity. Neuronal signaling events at synapses determine circuit responses and result in specific behavioral outputs. This signaling is dynamic – modulated by synapse activity history and perceived...
We study the structure and function of the cell nucleus, ‘mothership’ of the human genome. We seek to understand how nuclear envelope (NE) membrane proteins interact with nuclear intermediate filament (‘lamina’) networks and other partners to collectively establish, protect...
Protein function is dynamically regulated in the cell by reversible posttranslational modifications. We are interested in the mechanism by which chromatin modifications regulate transcription, nucleosome dynamics and the response to DNA damage. A particular focus is on the non-degradative...
The research in the Wolfgang laboratory utilizes biochemistry and molecular genetics to understand the molecular mechanisms used to sense and respond to nutritional/metabolic cues under various physiological and pathophysiological circumstances. They are particularly interested in deciphering the roles of...
Understanding the cell biology of genomes and how nuclear architecture controls gene expression is necessary to truly understand biological processes such as development and disease. Although sequencing of the genome and comparative genome analysis have yielded insights into the...
My lab is an interdisciplinary group that devises and experimentally tests computational tools to explore cell type identity and its molecular underpinnings. A unifying component of our research is the gene regulatory network (GRN). GRNs are programs encoded in...
We study how epithelial tubular organs – which are essential to life in all multicellular organisms – form and specialize. Using the simple unbranched tubes of the Drosophila salivary gland and the beautifully branched tubular network of the Drosophila...
Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi’s sarcoma herpesvirus are found in association with a variety of cancers. Our laboratory studies are aimed at better defining the role(s) of the virus in the pathogenesis of these diseases and the development of strategies...
The Rao laboratory studies the role of novel ion transporters in human health and disease. One project focuses on the calcium signaling in breast cancer. We showed that an isoform of the secretory pathway Ca2+-ATPase, SPCA2, interacts with ion...
Synapses are specialized cell-cell junctions which connect individual neurons together and are the sites of transmission of information between neurons. While the molecular mechanisms which promote synapse formation have been a subject of intense investigation, little is known about the...