Our lab explores: (1) epigenetic mechanisms by which information in the genome is expressed in a stable and heritable fashion through cell division; (2) molecular mechanisms by which cells commit to specific fates during animal development; (3) genetic programming of cell fate decisions; (4) mechanisms by which an embryo counts the number of sex chromosomes to determine its sex; (5) mechanisms by which chromosomes adopt the correct structure to achieve faithful segregation and hence genome stability; (6) the control of recombination during the formation of sperm and eggs; (7) the control of X-chromosome-wide gene expression through the process of dosage compensation. We combine genetic, genomic, proteomic, molecular, biochemical, and cell biological approaches to study these questions in the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans, a round worm.

Gladden, J.M., Farboud, B., Meyer, B.J. (2007) Revisiting the X:A Signal That Specifies Caenorhabditis elegans Sexual Fate. Genetics 177 (3), 1639-1654. [PDF]