Laurence H. Kedes

M.D.

Professor
Department Chair
Director, Institute for Genetic Medicine

Keck School of Medicine
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Work in this laboratory focused on molecular genetics of tissue specific gene expression and the regulation of the fluctuations of gene expression that accompany development timetables, hormonal signals, or differentiation cues. Transcription factors, in various and seemingly limitless combinations, bind to target sites in DNA promoter and enhancer elements and augment the capacity of the general transcription factors to initiate and sustain the transcription of protein encoding genes. His work focuses on how multiple transcriptional activators organize on composite promoter or enhancer elements in order to allow and modulate the expression of tissue specific genes. In other studies, gene therapy using the tongue muscle as a novel site for targeting has been approached in a collaborative study with Dr. Shuler. Dr. Kedes, Maxson and Snead collaborate on the effect of Msx2-twist interactions which may play a role in calvarial osteoblast differentiation.

 

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