Dr. John F. McDonald
Professor and Chair
School of Biology
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Contact information:
- School of Biology
- 310 Ferst Drive
- Cherry Emerson, Room 201A
- Atlanta, GA 30332, Mail Code: 0230
- Tel: 404-894-3735
- Fax: 404-894-0519
- Email:
Research Interests
Retrotransponons and Evolution
Retrotransposons are the most abundant and wide spread class of eukaryotic transposable elements. For example, retrotransposons constitute ~10% of the Drosophila genome, ~20% of the rice genome, ~40% of the human genome, ~50% of the maize genome and >90% of the genome of some lilies. Our laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying retroelement evolution and the impact these elements have had on the evolution of the host genomes in which they reside. We combine molecular biology and computational genomics to address these questions in a variety of organisms ranging from yeast to humans.
Cancer
Our laboratory's interests in retrotransposons extends to the role these elements may play in the alteration of chromatin structure and other epigenetic changes associated with tumorgenesis. In collaboration with the Ovarian Cancer Institute (Atlanta), we are engaged in efforts to identify molecular markers of early staged ovarian cancers using microarray (Affymetrix), 2-D gel and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) technologies. We are also nterested in analyzing the molecular responses of different stages and classes of tumors to chemotherapy and in understanding the molecular basis of chemotherapy resistance.