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.

Jans, J. Gladden, J. M., Ralston, E. J., Pickle, C. S., Michel, A. H., Pferdehirt, R. R., Eisen, M. B., Meyer, B. J. (2009)  A condensin-like dosage compensation complex acts at a distance to control expression throughout the genome.   Genes & Development 23 (5), 602-618. [PDF][Supp.PDF]