To maintain their genetic integrity, eukaryotic cells must properly segregate their chromosomes to daughter cells during their cell division cycle. The unraveling of the mechanisms for chromosome segregation should improve our understanding of various human diseases such as cancers and congenital disorders, which are characterized by chromosome instability and aneuploidy. To study chromosome segregation, we use budding yeast and mammalian cells as model systems. Overwhelming evidence suggests that the basic mechanisms of chromosome regulation are well conserved from yeast to humans.
We focus on how chromosomes interact with the mitotic spindle prior to chromosome segregation, how chromosomes are condensed in early mitosis, and how chromosome segregation actually occurs during mitosis. A PhD student is expected to join one of these projects and will have opportunities to learn methods in molecular biology, cell biology, advanced high-resolution microscopy, image processing/analyses, and mass spectrometry/biochemistry.