Prof. Stephen P Bell

Uncas (1923) and Helen Whitaker Professor of Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator

Primary DLC

Department of Biology

MIT Room: 68-630

Areas of Interest and Expertise

Mechanisms Regulating the Duplication and Expression of the Eukaryotic Genome
Origin Recognition Protein (ORC) and the Initiation of DNA Synthesis from Yeast Origins of Replication
Relationship Between DNA Replication and Transcriptional Control
Biochemistry and Biophysics
Cell Biology
Genetics

Research Summary

Professor Bell focuses on the events that occur at the starting points of chromosome duplication. These DNA sequences -- called “origins of replication” -- are found at multiple sites on each eukaryotic chromosome and direct the assembly of replisomes, which replicate the DNA on both sides of the origin. We study this assembly process to understand how chromosomes are replicated, and how these events are regulated during the cell cycle to ensure genome maintenance.

Recent Work