Research in my laboratory centers on: (i) the events that occur when the replisome (the multi-component enzyme machine that replicates chromosomal DNA) encounters template damage that blocks progression of the replication fork, and (ii) the coordination of DNA replication, chromosome decatenation and segregation, and cytokinesis. Our studies on replication fork blockage and restart use purified recombination and replication proteins in various well-defined systems reconstituted in vitro that model replication fork stalling, collapse, reactivation, and lesion bypass. Our studies on chromosome segregation utilize a combination of biochemical, cell biological, and molecular genetic approaches.
