FSU Biology - Faculty Research Interests - Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Genomics

Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Genomics

  • Hank W. Bass
    Meiosis in higher plants; telomere dynamics; molecular cytology; maize chromatin, nuclease sensitivity profiling, G4-DNA, and genome replication. Work primarily on maize.

  • Hongchang Cui
    Cell fate specification and reprogramming in plants; evolutionary and developmental biology; plant-environment interaction; genomics and epigenomics; proteomics; molecular genetics.

  • Jonathan H. Dennis
    The biology of chromatin involved in the innate immune response.

  • Debra A. Fadool
    Structure and Function of Ion Channel Proteins; Signal Transduction and Neuromodulation by Phosphorylation; Impact of Obesity and Diabetes mellitus on Olfactory and Sensory Processes

  • James M. Fadool
    Using zebrafish as an model system, we investigate genetic & cellular mechanisms regulating photoreceptor development, patterning, retinal degeneration and regeneration.

  • Jian Feng
    Epigenetic regulation of neuropsychiatric disorders

  • Ashwanth Francis
    Structure-function studies of virus cell biology. We use live-cell imaging and cryo-EM to uncover mechanisms of virus transport, virus disassembly, nuclear pore interactions and virus compartmentalization inside the nucleus of living cells

  • Kimberly A. Hughes
    Why are organisms are so genetically diverse? This is the broad question on which my lab focuses. In particular, we want to understand how variation is maintained in traits that are under strong natural selection: life history traits, sexually selected traits, and other traits closely tied to fitness. We use a variety of approaches to investigate these issues ranging from field experiments to genomic analyses.

  • James Jordan
    Epigenetic regulation of metabolism in health and disease.

  • Kathryn M. Jones
    I study the symbiotic interaction of nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria with legume host plants: 1)How bacteria manipulate their environment during host plant invasion such that the plant not only permits entry, but provides an invasion pathway for them; 2)Why the interactions of specific strains of Sinorhizobium with particular Medicago truncatula plant ecotypes are more productive than others; 3)How plants direct resources to productive symbionts at the expense of unproductive ones (cheaters).

  • Emily Lemmon
    Research in our lab focuses on the study of speciation, from the earliest stages where populations start to diverge to the final stages where reproductive isolation evolves. We are also involved in accelerating resolution of the Tree of Life, through development of next-generation sequencing approaches for phylogenomics and population genomics.

  • Lisa C. Lyons
    We are interested in the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which sleep and the circadian clock affect neural plasticity from drug tolerance to long-term memory. We use Drosophila melanogaster and mice for our research with sleep deprivation.

  • Karen M. McGinnis
    Epigenetic gene regulation in maize.

  • Guangxia Miao
    My lab focuses on complex cell behavior, specifically the movements of cells from one place to another. We use fruit fly as the model system.

  • Darin R Rokyta
    I study the genetics of adaptation, primarily in the context of the coevolution between venomous animals and their prey. My research group studies the venoms of snakes, scorpions, centipedes, and spiders, and we are interested in how the genetics of traits influence their evolutionary trajectories.

  • M. Elizabeth Stroupe
    The Stroupe laboratory uses cryogenic electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography to discover fundamental mechanisms in ribosome biogenesis and sulfur metabolism.

  • Hengli Tang
    Virus-host cell interactions; Stem cell-based models for viral infections; Cell biology of flavivirus replication.

  • Amy Webster
    Using C. elegans as a model, we are interested in how differences in gene expression and chromatin can both cause and predict phenotypic differences across individuals, how these differences interact with genetic and environmental variation, and how heritable epigenetic effects may shape populations on short and long timescales.

  • Hong-Guo Yu
    Using gametogenesis as a model to study cellular rejuvenation; mechanisms of chromosome tethering at the nuclear envelope

  • Fanxiu Zhu
    Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV); viral evasion of the host innate immune responses; viral modulation of the host kinase signaling pathways; role and assembly of KSHV tegument proteins.


Our research focuses on how genetic information is used and regulated at the molecular, cellular and, in some cases, whole-animal level. We utilize genetic mutants to define gene function in organisms ranging from microbes to mammals. Experimental approaches include classical genetic screens for phenotypic markers; molecular analyses of gene structure and function; gene identification, cloning, construction, and mapping; and assessment of molecular evolution, signal transduction, and gene activity. Inter-laboratory activities (e.g. joint lab meetings, departmental seminars, topical seminar series) promote faculty and student interactions and the critique of current research and the scientific literature. Close work with associated departments/programs (e.g. Chemistry Department, the Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Structural Biology Program, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory) enhances the access to state-of-the-art research technologies provided by the Department of Biological Science core facilities. Emphasizing high-quality, nationally competitive research, our diverse laboratories provide balance and breadth in graduate and post-graduate training.