The Green Lab - Replication Fork Dynamics
The Green lab is a group of scientists asking questions about a fundamental biological phenomenom - the division of one cell to generate two daughter cells.
This is necessary throughout an organism's life.
During embryonic development and growth to adulthood, cell division is used to create the billions or trillions of cells in an adult, all of which are derived from a single initial cell, the fertilised egg.
Throughout the life of an organism it is also required, to replace cells that are lost and that die.
It is however crucial that cell division occurs in a controlled manner, as inappropriate cell proliferation is harmful, as can be seen in cancers.
We study one particular aspect of the cell division process, the function and regulation of the cellular machinery that is used to make an accurate and complete copy of the cell's DNA, or genome.
Mistakes during this copying lead to mutations in the daughter cells. If these mutations are formed during the production of reproductive cells then they can contribute to the generation of diversity and to evolution. If however they occur during the growth or maintenance of body tissues then they can lead to cancer development.
Our group is in the University of Cambridge, on the second floor of the Department of Zoology, near to the centre of Cambridge. For directions and a map please click here.
