Our laboratory investigates the control of stem cell cycling and mechanisms coupling differentiation and cell cycle arrest.

Description of projects available to graduate students:
One project examines the role of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors in differentiation and in tumor suppression. Various structure-function
mutants of p21 and p27 are examined using in vitro models. The functional effects of varying subcellular localization and complex
formation are determined. The work has biologic significance given the central role of p27 loss in all cancers and the potential of these studies to rescue of p27 functionality in cancers.

Another project examines stem cell transdifferentiation and modulation of signaling pathways associated with this.

Another project dissects the role of the Stat signaling pathways in cancer cells and new mechanisms of Stat activation through cell-cell
contact.

Techniques graduate student will learn:
Direct protein transduction, chromatin immunoprecipitation, stable inducible transfectants, standard molecular techniques