Our research focuses on the area of cell cycle control,
and in particular how it interacts with control of
cell polarity. One focus is the study of how changes
in the activity of the Cyclin Dependent Kinases (CDKs)
that control cell cycle progression promote specific
changes in the organization of the actin cytoskeleton.
A second focus involves investigation of a novel checkpoint
control that monitors the organization of the actin
cytoskeleton. When environmental insults disrupt actin
organization, this checkpoint delays entry into mitosis
through inhibition of CDK/cyclin kinases. Trainees
use genetic and biochemical approaches to study these
signaling pathways in the experimentally tractable
budding yeast.
