April 2000

GENE PATTERNS:
High-Tech Molecular Biology

If every cell in your body contains the same identical DNA, why are the cells in your retina different from the cells in the palm of your hand?

The answer lies in the regulation of gene expression, says Chip Lawrence, a research professor in the Computer Science Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Lawrence, the embodiment of the discipline-spanning field of biotechnology at Rensselaer, spends his professional life also as a research scientist and chief of the Biometrics Lab at the Wadsworth Center, run by the New York State Department of Health in Albany.

Lawrence’s research deals with statistical models in molecular and structural biology. Specifically, he works in the identification and characterization of gene regulatory elements, multiple sequence alignment, and protein structure prediction.

The aim of his current research is to identify transcription factor binding sites, the first component of the genome’s transcription regulation wiring diagram, in the upstream DNA for nearly all of the 4,000 genes found in E. coli bacteria. A library of such basic information could lead to the creation of a vaccine for this and related pathogenic bacteria.

“This is real practical work,” Lawrence said. “The long-term goal of my lab research is understanding the wiring diagrams of gene regulation using sequence data of genomes of many species beginning with bacteria and moving toward the human genome.

CONTACT: Theresa Bourgeois, (518) 276-2840, bourgt@rpi.edu

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