Molecular and Cellular Biology

A remarkable feature of life is its diversity: from single-celled organisms, with complex gene regulatory circuits controlling metabolism, motility, and cell division; to mammals, which develop from a single cell to highly complex multicellular organisms with organ systems, comprised of multiple differentiated cells with specialized functions, and having defined and regulated morphologies. Yet equally remarkable is that all known forms of life are derived from the same chemical building blocks, including the means by which almost all biological information is stored: DNA. With the recent sequencing of the human, yeast, and bacterial genomes, the task at hand is to decipher the information contained in these vast biological databases - How is this information disseminated to create an organism? How are biological structures organized and their functions coordinated? How do biological systems adapt to or cope with an ever-changing environment? Answering these questions forms the core of contemporary molecular and cellular biology. Most importantly, the answers are critical to develop treatments for devastating human diseases, from HIV/AIDS to cancer.