Our laboratory studies the influence of mobile genetic elements on genome structure and function.  Mobile genetic elements comprise a significant proportion of the genome of any organism.  This fact gained renewed appreciation from analysis of the human genome sequence that revealed as much as 45% of the genome is composed of mobile elements.  In promoting their spread, mobile genetic elements contribute significantly to genome dynamics and the evolution of chromosome structure and function. There are currently three main areas of research:  

1. •how do mobile DNA elements promote their mobility within and between genomes?
   

2. •what are the consequences of that mobility on genome structure and function?
   

3. •engineering and use of homing endonucleases for biotechnological applications