Dr. Hong-Guo Yu

Our research goal is to understand how chromosomes organize themselves and segregate during cell division. In mitosis the cell replicates itself by equally partitioning duplicated chromosomes. In contrast, during the first division of meiosis, homologous chromosomes pair, recombine, then separate, but sister chromatids remain joined together until the second division of meiosis. Understanding the dynamics of chromosome organization and segregation during meiosis can provide insights into the causes of birth defects and aneuploidy. We have been studying how two highly conserved protein complexes called cohesin and condensin function in chromosome organization and segregation. Recently, we have expanded our research to an exciting new frontier focused on determining the mechanics of the nuclear envelope involved in regulating chromosome movement, recombination, gene expression, and cellular rejuvenation. We use budding yeast as a genetic model in our studies.