The Wang lab uses genomics approaches to investigate regulatory pathways in mammalian stem cells. First, we are interested in how nucleosome organization influences gene expression. Second, we are investigating how RNA ligases regulate cellular stress responses.
We choose mouse embryonic stem cells as our experimental system to investigate global genetic regulatory mechanisms. Our general experimental approach is to construct both protein-protein interaction and genetic interaction maps centered on a key node of a regulatory network. We combine both biochemical and genetic approaches to achieve these goals. Unlike other genetic powerhouses such as yeast, worms and flies, genetic tools in a mammalian system have been poorly developed and the throughput of genetic analysis remains very low. Therefore, while we are approaching specific biological questions, my laboratory is also actively developing new methods and tools to increase the throughput of genetic analysis for vertebrate systems.
The Wang Lab is a member of the Department of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University and the Center for Cell and Developmental Systems Biology.
Associated graduate programs: Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences (IBIS) program, Masters in Quantitative and Systems Biology Program, or Master of Biotechnology Program.