Work in our laboratory concerns the molecular mechanisms that control animal development. In order for a multicellular organism to develop properly, specific genes must be turned on or off in specific cells. We are studying a set of genes, called homeotic genes, that control development in the fruit fly, Drosophila. We use a combination of biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics to study how these genes are regulated in fly embryos.

A major project concerns how transcription of homeotic genes is repressed in specific body regions. At least 10 proteins, termed Polycomb group (PcG) proteins, have been identified that cooperate to provide repression. We are studying the molecular mechanisms, including protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, used by these transcriptional repressors.