Research at the Gould Lab

The Gould laboratory is primarily interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell division. We use the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, as a model organism for our studies because the machinery operating core biological processes such as the cell cycle has been conserved throughout evolution.

S. pombe also offers several experimental advantages over higher eukaryotic cells. Its genome has been sequenced, a complete gene deletion set is available, the localization of the proteome has been determined, and many conditionally lethal mutations have been isolated in cell cycle regulators. These attributes allow a broad range of experimental techniques to be applied with ease, including biochemistry, genetics, proteomics, and live-cell imaging.