This laboratory uses Baker's yeast to study the regulation of early cell cycle events required for the initiation of S phase and DNA replication. We have found that an enzyme responsible for attaching the highly conserved protein ubiquitin onto other protein substrates is necessary for the transition into S phase. Our immediate goals are to determine how this ubiquitin-conjugating activity is regulated as well as to identify its substrate proteins. A variety of molecular, genetic, and immunochemical approaches will be employed.
