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Dr. Culyba's laboratory fuses molecular and biochemical methodologies with experimental microbial evolution to study mutational phenomena and bacterial adaptation. Mutation and gene transfer events are the source of heritable variation for evolution. These genome diversifying processes can range from being relatively site-specific in the genome to being nearly random. Furthermore, beyond the mutations themselves, the DNA damage and DNA repair events associated with mutagenesis can also be deleterious to the host and are subject to multiple levels of active regulation by cells. Understanding how microorganisms respond to their environments and control the rate and specificity of mutagenesis is the focus of the laboratory. Ongoing studies are aimed at elucidating the (i) molecular mechanisms which regulate mutational phenomena in bacteria during transitions to new environments, (ii) molecular specificity determinants of enzymes involved in mutational phenomena, and (iii) new methods for tracking and detecting mutations in populations of cells. Research projects in the lab are designed to inform a variety of pressing scientific challenges, including combating the crisis of antimicrobial resistance, improving the specificity and safety of cutting-edge gene editing technologies, and building a comprehensive model of molecular evolution.
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