Molecular Biology and Genetics

Program Summary

Molecular Biology and Genetics seek to understand how the molecules that make up cells determine the behavior of living things.

Biologists use molecular and genetic tools to study the function of those molecules in the complex milieu of the living cell.

Groups in our department are using these approaches to study a wide variety of questions, including the fundamental processes of transcription and translation, mechanisms of global gene control including signal transduction pathways, the function of the visual and olfactory systems, and the nature of genetic diversity in natural populations and how that affects their evolution, among others.

The systems under study cover the range of model organisms (bacteria, yeast, slime molds, worms, fruit flies, zebrafish, and mice) though the results of these studies relate directly or indirectly to human health.