Prof. Michael T Laub

The Lau Lab aims to understand how cells process information, make decisions, and control their own behavior. This information-processing capability is ultimately endowed by complex regulatory networks and signal transduction pathways, but the design and operating principles of such molecular-based circuits remain poorly understood. We are tackling this challenge in two particular contexts. First, we are dissecting the genetic circuitry that controls cell cycle progression and the generation of cellular asymmetry in the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus. For this work, we combine genetics, biochemistry, microscopy, genomics, and computational tools to map the regulatory network controlling the cell cycle and to explore how the molecules involved are connected and orchestrated at the systems-level. Second, we are studying the mechanisms by which cells maintain the specificity and fidelity of signal transduction systems in order to prevent unwanted cross-talk. These studies include efforts in protein engineering and the design of synthetic signaling circuits.