Hauf Lab

Molecular networks controlling chromosome segregation

Life depends on the correct propagation of genetic material from one generation to the next. We study the molecular processes underlying the proper execution of chromosome segregation and how chromosome segregation is coordinated with the cell cycle. The long-term goal is to gain an understanding not only of the molecular details of this process, but of the system as a whole. We want to know how an interplay of hundreds of molecules, that involves stochastic events, can make chromosome segregation both efficient and reliable. Since chromosome segregation is fundamental for life, many of the basic components and principles are conserved throughout evolution. We use fission yeast, S. pombe, a small unicellular eukaryote with kinetochores that resemble human ones in their overall structure, as a model organism, and we combine advanced fluorescence microscopy with other cell biological, genetic and biochemical methods.